Day of the Black Sun
by Kitsune Triforce
Summary: Just as the Autobots are beginning to settle into their new peaceful lives on Earth, a rogue Decepticon crashes in Ohio. This Decepticon, Firestorm, has a cryptic warning for the Autobots and their human allies: He is coming. Sequel to Dark of the Moon, follows Moon Shadows.
1. Prologue

**A/N**_**:**__ Blame Avatar: The Last Airbender for the title. They mentioned it in the series, I realized it would fit perfectly for the events in this story, and I borrowed it. Credit goes to those he originally coined that term…ahem._

_I do not want to fall it the pattern of what most people writing post-DOTM fics seem to be doing. Trouble is, this is the ONLY plausible way I see for there to even BE a true sequel to DOTM, so I'm doing it, too. However, I plan on handling it differently than what I have read, because repeat performances aren't very interesting, are they?_

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Prologue: The Seeker's Flight**

**Rating: T (Just to be safe)**

**Words: 667**

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><p><em>In any war, there are calms between storms.<em> _There will be days when we lose faith._ _Days when our allies turn against us...but the day will never come that we forsake_ _this planet and its people._

_For I am Optimus Prime...and I send this_ _message to the universe: We are here._

_We are home_.

THERE WERE COUNTLESS NUMBERS OF STARS SCATTERED THROUGHOUT THE vastness of space. Since time unknown, sentient beings on planets all over the universe would look to the stars visible in the sky of their home planets. The sight of the stars brought joy, awe, and hope.

All of this meant nothing to Firestorm. He streaked past the stars, not even stopping to admire the sight of them. At one time, he would have done so, but no longer. His Energon levels were dangerously low; he was running his engine ragged at the speed he was going. He desperately needed to stop and recharge, but there was no time for that. Ignoring the whine of protest from his already overworked systems, he increased his speed even further. While he _did_ have the ability to get to his destination instantly, his energy had been too low even in the beginning to attempt such a thing without risking severe damage. If he tried it now, it would very likely kill him. So Firestorm traveled the normal Cybertronian way, and pushed his speed to the limits as best as he was able to.

The only hope he had came to him in the form of the transmission he had picked up. It had been heavily encrypted with an Autobot code, but he had been able to get through and learn what he had been hoping was true.

_Optimus Prime. He is still alive and Megatron is no more. So, the Autobots were able to win the war after all. Good, good. But they are not prepared for this._

Firestorm was not alone. He was being chased.

He couldn't see what it was that was chasing him. It was too far away, but the aura it gave off-cold and violent, evil and unforgiving, like a huge black shadow that sucked the energy out of everything it touched, was something he was cursed to feel even here. And, in all actuality, it wasn't truly chasing _him_. No, it was coming for something else, something that was on the small organic planet Firestorm was traveling to. The planet that the Autobots now called home.

Earth.

The Autobots didn't know. The Autobots were no doubt unprepared for the enemy that was slowly but surely making its way towards their new home. How could they be? The approaching threat was very real, but it had long ago faded into myth, into legends that were rarely spoken, let alone believed enough to be taken seriously by most Cybertronians alive today. But Firestorm was old enough to know that the stories were true. He was prepared and knew what must be done. He had information that the Autobots could use. It might lead to victory, it might not. But it would certainly give them a fighting chance, which was something they did not have, that they would never have if he didn't get there in time.

If he did get there in time, if he did help them, then maybe he would finally feel worthy to exchange the battered Decepticon insignia that marred his chassis for an Autobot one. Maybe the terrible things he had helped to bring about and failed to prevent while in Decepticon service would finally be paid for. Maybe.

He felt the enemy's presence again, reaching out in the direction he was going. He could almost hear the cold voice hissing in his comm unit.

_**IT WILL BE DESTROYED!**_

Firestorm shuddered, and then increased his speed once more. He had to get there! He had to make it to Earth as soon as he possibly could. He had to warn the Autobots! He had to tell them…

_HE IS COMING!_


	2. Moving Day

**A/N**_**:**__ Originally I just jumped into the story here, but I decided to give Optimus a little opening speech, even though we got to hear his transmission from DOTM in the Prologue._

_My plan is to make this story kind of sort of like what I think the 1986 movie would be like if it was live-action. But it's definitely not going to be an exact spot-on copy. Far from it. There will be tons of major differences (for one thing, there will be no planet hopping…that was one of the things that really threw me off in the 1986 movie…) and plot twists, XD. There will also be bits of Transformers: Prime influences here and there. Interpret that how you may._

_This chapter is mainly reflections on how life has changed and updates on how the Autobots are doing. No big action yet, but soon. I promise._

_Oh, one more thing. Before you ask, yes, the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a real place. I've been going to the Air Force Museum there ever since I was really little, and I know it pretty well. When I was last there, a few months ago, I was doing research on which aircraft would be good Alt Modes for some of my characters, and I remember thinking "This base is pretty cool. I bet the Autobots would feel at home here." Well, now they do! And enough blabbing from me, there's a tale to tell._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter One-Moving Day**

**Rating: T (Just to be safe)**

**Words: 5,677**

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><p><em>CYBERTRON WAS ONCE OUR HOME, BUT THE WAR CHANGED THAT.<em>

_Now, Cybertron is gone, but while we all feel the loss, it is not as tragic as it may seem, for we have a new home, here, on Earth._

_It has been one year since our final battle with the Decepticons ended with the destruction of both Megatron and Sentinel Prime. Leaderless, the surviving Decepticons have fled, and while we presume that they are hiding somewhere on this planet, they have made no moves to engage us again. I can only hope that they are finally as tired of the fighting as we Autobots are, and have chosen to live out the remainder of their lives in peace._

_Our numbers have increased as more Autobots have answered the call and found their way to Earth. The Hatchlings we rescued from the abandoned Decepticon camp have grown, and are now Sparklings. They are loved equally by Autobot and human alike. One day, they will join the Autobot ranks themselves, but, for now, they will be able to enjoy being young._

_That is possible, for on Earth, we have finally regained that which we lost on Cybertron so long ago._

_We have found peace._

* * *

><p>The problem with moving, Sam reflected, was <em>not<em> the time it took to pack everything up into boxes and load said boxes into the moving van. No, the _real_ problem was the inevitable misplacing of a certain object of importance during the packing, especially when said object had the ability to move around and a tendency to hide in places no one would think to look.

With a groan, Sam shoved the box of clothes he had been fruitlessly going through off to one side. Nope, not in there either.

"Any luck yet?" Carly called from downstairs, her voice full of worried concern.

"No," Sam replied, with a barely repressed sigh of frustration. "How about you?"

"None."

_Okay, back to the drawing board,_ Sam thought, rubbing his hands together and looking around the bedroom in frustration. _Not in any of the boxes up here. Not downstairs. Not in the closet this time, not on the bed, either…_

Oh, the bed. _Duh, Witwicky,_ Sam thought with a shake of his head. _Obvious. Should've looked there in the first place!_

He knelt down and looked under the bed. Grinning triumphantly, he reached under it with one hand and grabbed his quarry. A startled sounding squeak emerged from what he pulled out from under the bed and into his arms. "Gotcha!"

Clicking indignantly at having his hiding spot discovered, a tiny red-armored robot looked up at Sam, bright purple optics narrowing as he pouted. One tiny hand lightly smacked Sam's arm as the other reached back towards the floor under the bed; the little robot wriggled madly as he tried to get back into his hiding place. Sam slightly tightened his grip.

"No, Blaster. You don't need to go under the bed. You need to go back downstairs and stay with Bee while Carly and I finish packing." Sam struggled to contain the wriggling Sparkling as he tried to get back under the bed. "What's up with you today?"

"Pod!" Blaster squeaked, reaching towards the underside of the bed with both hands now. "Pod! Pod!"

"What?" Sam looked back under the bed, trying to see what it was Blaster was making such a fuss about. Shifting his grip so that he was holding the Sparkling with one arm, he reached under the bed and grabbed what he assumed Blaster was trying to get to-his iPod. "Hey, I was looking for this earlier!"

Blaster reached for the iPod. "Pod, pod!"

Sam held it out of reach. "Hold on, little guy. You gotta promise to be good and stay with Bee while Carly and I finish packing. Okay?"

Blaster contemplated this as well as his infantile processors were able to for a minute, the serious expression on his face extremely amusing, before he reached for the iPod again. "'kay."

Sam continued to hold the iPod out of Blaster's reach. "Be careful with it. No breaking, remember?"

"No break!"

"All right, then," Sam relented, turning on the iPod and handing it to Blaster, who held it carefully, staring at it in fascination as music came from its speakers. Sam tucked the little Sparkling under one arm, earning another squeak from Blaster, but with the iPod distracting him he was too preoccupied to wriggle. It was really lucky that Blaster, the smallest of the Sparklings- at only a little bit smaller than Wheelie and Brains would be if one stood on the other's shoulders, he was closer to a human toddler in size than a Cybertronian Sparkling-was the one living with them. He knew that he wouldn't have been able to carry any of the others like this. "Back downstairs we go." He grabbed one of the smaller packed boxes and held it under his free arm as he excited the room and headed for the stairs.

"You found him?" Carly asked in relief when she saw Sam making his way down the stairs with Blaster safely tucked under one arm and a box under the other.

"Yeah. He was hiding under the bed, trying to listen to my iPod," Sam replied, shaking his head. "Y'know, it's a good thing he's so fascinated with human music-now he's distracted enough that I think he'll stay put."

From where he crouched in one corner of the living room, Bumblebee looked up and gave a relieved, thankful chirp when Sam approached him with Blaster. He'd been growing increasingly worried as Sam and Carly's searches-as well as his own, along with the efforts of Brains and Wheelie-had failed to find the little Sparkling. He'd known that the Sparkling couldn't have gotten very far, but seeing him tucked under Sam's arm still made him feel significantly less anxious. The young Autobot held out his hands to take the Sparkling from Sam, and the human obliged, settling Blaster carefully into Bumblebee's upturned palms. Bumblebee clicked reprovingly at the little Sparkling, but Blaster wasn't the least bit fazed; he beamed up at Bumblebee and waved the still-playing iPod at him, squeaking cheerfully.

"Bee! Pod!"

Bumblebee vented, shaking his head in exasperation, but his optics were smiling. Blaster's enthusiasm when it came to music and his cheerful, loving personality made it very difficult for anyone to remain upset with him for too long. Blaster settled into one of Bumblebee's hands, refocusing his attention on the iPod. Bumblebee looked back at Sam, who was still standing nearby, holding the box he had brought downstairs.

"I think he's gonna behave himself now, Bee, as long as that iPod's charge lasts. You got things handled, right?"

Bumblebee gave him a thumbs-up with his free hand and let out an affirmative chirp.

Sam grinned at him as he sat the box he had brought downstairs on a stack of boxes waiting to be loaded into the moving van that was waiting for them outside the apartment. "Good. Let me know if you need anything, Bee."

"Back to work then, I guess," Wheelie said. He headed towards the door that lead outside to the porch and Brains followed him.

The young Autobot watched as Sam grabbed a few empty boxes and went back upstairs, Carly following him, also carrying empty boxes. Once the two humans were upstairs and Wheelie and Brains had headed back outside to dismantle their little "clubhouse" as they called it, Bumblebee returned his attention to the little red Sparkling that was currently sitting in one of his hands, happily staring at the still-playing iPod.

When the Autobots had found the Hatchlings in the abandoned Decepticon camp in Africa the previous year, Bumblebee had found himself holding the smallest and youngest of the survivors-the then-nameless Blaster. Maybe it was because he himself had always been the smallest and youngest, maybe it could simply be the fact that his guardian protocols were stronger than they were in other Autobots, but Bumblebee had felt an instant connection to the little Hatchling, much like he had when he first met Sam. It was enough to let him know that he wanted to be the one to take care of the Hatchling, and he had volunteered for it long before Ratchet and Optimus had even begun to choose caretakers for their new charges. At first, the two of them had been reluctant-after all; Bumblebee was a Youngling himself and, as a result, would no doubt find the raising of a Hatchling far more difficult than the others would-but they had both relented when they had seen both how much it meant to the young Autobot and just how much of a connection the Hatchling and scout already had. And Bumblebee wasn't raising Blaster all by himself, either-Sam and Carly were helping him, and so were Wheelie and Brains-though Bumblebee thought the two of them were a bad influence on the Sparkling, sort of like the uncles no one wanted around because they taught the kids how to do dangerous things. Ratchet was also willing to provide help if Bumblebee had any questions, and Optimus also stopped by every once in a while to see how things were working out. Having others to help Bumblebee when he needed it made it not as difficult for the Youngling to raise Blaster as Ratchet and Optimus had initially worried.

Blaster was the smallest of the Hatchlings, but he had earned his name by happening to be the loudest. When he was scared, hurt, or upset, crying didn't even begin to cover the noise he made. No, _screaming_ was a far more accurate description. Fortunately, it didn't happen very often-Bumblebee was far too attentive to the Sparkling's wellbeing to let any problems go unchecked. In any case, Blaster was generally well behaved; he was just very curious and this led to his unfortunate habit of hiding in places Bumblebee and the others didn't think to look- the other day, they had found him recharging in a box of clothes, and just yesterday he had somehow managed to get onto the top shelf in the closet. While his habit of hiding was a cause of anxiety, he was always safely found, so there was never any harm done. Blaster's fascination with music also kept him out of trouble; he would sit for hours listening to the iPod or stereo, and whenever Bumblebee would play songs from his radio Blaster would giggle like someone was tickling him.

Blaster had managed to wriggle his way into everyone's heart or Spark-Sam went out of his way to help Bumblebee take care of him, Carly thought he was adorable, Wheelie and Brains, despite not being the best of influences, were actually pretty good Sparkling-sitters and enjoyed entertaining the little guy, and Bumblebee knew he couldn't care more for Blaster if he was his actual creator. Even Buster, Sam's dog, seemed to like the little Sparkling and put up with Blaster's usually loud infantile play.

_Two humans, four Autobots, and a dog,_ Bumblebee thought with amusement. _We have the most unusual family I've ever seen._

The size of their odd but undeniably close family was part of the reason why they were moving. As nice as the apartment in DC was, it was just too small to hold two humans, four Autobots, and a dog comfortably, especially when one of said Autobots was still basically a baby and still had a lot of growing to do. Not only that, but now that Carly and Sam were married (which had happened a few months after the battle in Chicago, once everything had more or less settled down and Sam finally realized that Bumblebee knew what he was doing when he had been trying to convince Sam to propose to Carly in the first place) they wanted to find a place which would not only suit the current size of their family but also the potential increase in size that any future children they had would bring. They hadn't found anything nearby, but the solution had come in a way none of them had expected.

During Optimus Prime's most recent visit to the DC area, Bumblebee had told him that Sam and Carly were trying to find a new house, and, to the scout's surprise and gratitude, the Prime had presented a solution.

While the Autobots were still in the process of waiting for their request for a place to build a new permanent base to be granted (Autobot City, as Sam had jokingly referred to it once, was actually going to become a reality, a fact that both amused him and made him happy that his friends would finally have a place where they could permanently stay), they had a temporary one set up in Dayton, Ohio, at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. NEST could find a home of suitable size for them there, and that way, they would be close to their friends. And, if Sam wanted, there would be a job at NEST for him-Mearing had finally relented and decided to give him a chance. It wouldn't be a combat job, as that wasn't really necessary when it had been a year since any Decepticon activity had occurred, but he _would_ be working with the Autobots. And, even though Bumblebee hadn't been active in NEST for a year and was enjoying just being able to stay with Sam and the rest of his adopted family, he liked the idea of being able to live close to his Autobot friends again.

Excited and hopeful, Bumblebee had relayed the news back to Sam, and after a discussion with Carly, they accepted Optimus's invitation and had begun the process of preparing for the move. That had been about a week ago; in a few days, they would leave for their new home. He'd miss the apartment-after all, it had been the first human dwelling he had actually been able to live in-but Bumblebee was looking forward to seeing everyone again.

_And plus,_ he thought as he looked at Blaster, who was still staring intently at the iPod, _Blaster will have other Sparklings to play with when we get there._

His attention shifted to the top of the stairs as Sam and Carly emerged from the bedroom, both carrying boxes that were now completely packed and taped shut.

"-wonder if any more Autobots have come to Earth since the last time we saw Optimus," Sam was saying, obviously continuing a conversation that had being going on in the bedroom while they were packing and while Bumblebee had been reminiscing downstairs.

"If they have, we'll see them sometime, I guess," Carly said. She looked thoughtful. "Of the two that arrived before they left for Ohio the first time, we only met one, and he seemed pretty confident that more would arrive soon."

"Oh, I remember him," Sam grinned, the boxes he was carrying down. "The little one that looked like a dragon. He got into a shouting match with Brains over which of them had the better laptop Alt Mode. _That_ was funny."

"It _was_ funny, at least until Blaster thought it was a game and starting screaming too," Carly said with a laugh, shaking her head. "My ears are still ringing from that, Sam. I hope any other new Autobots don't yell as much as that one did."

Bumblebee chirped to get their attention. Once Sam and Carly were both looking at him, he offered, "Th-they d-don't. C-Computron j-just likes t-to g-get into heated d-debates; t-that's why h-he w-was yelling."

"Good to know. Good to hear. As long as it's true, it means that _you_…" Sam reached over and began to tickle Blaster, who started squeaking and waving the iPod around, "Won't need to exercise those robot-lungs of yours anytime soon."

"I don't think they have lungs, Sam," Carly said, smiling as she placed the boxes that she had been carrying off to one side.

"I was speaking metaphorically, Carly," Sam insisted as he continued to tickle the squeaking Blaster.

"No tickle! No!" Blaster tried to wriggle away from Sam, but the little Sparkling couldn't escape the human's tickling. With a squeak mixed with a giggle, the Sparkling looked imploringly up at Bumblebee, somehow managing to look absolutely pitiful despite the grin on his face plate as he reached up for his caretaker. "Bee save!"

Bumblebee obliged the Sparkling's request, and lifted Blaster out of Sam's reach, playfully waggling a finger at his human friend. _"Leave the kid alone."_

"Which kid?" Sam questioned with a mischievous grin. "_You're_ also technically a kid, Bee, and I know for a fact that you're ticklish, too."

Bumblebee's optics widened, and he quickly found an appropriate response through his radio. _"You wouldn't dare."_

"Try me," Sam retorted in a mock threat.

_I'll take you up on that_, Bumblebee thought. He poked Sam gently in the ribs with a finger on his free hand. Sam jerked back with a noise that was a mix between a laugh and a surprised gasp.

"Retaliatory tickling, Bee? That's not very fair," Sam grumbled once he got his breath back.

"_You started it,"_ Bumblebee quoted back.

Carly shook her head. "You two are so immature."

"Hey," Sam protested. "I was just playing with Blaster. Besides, Bumblebee's the one who tickled me, and he's an Autobot _teenager_, so he's just acting his age, Carly."

"I stand corrected. Bumblebee is acting just fine." Carly smiled. "You, Sam, are the immature one."

As Sam sputtered in indignation, Bumblebee lowered Blaster back down to where he had been before the tickling had started. The young Autobot watched as Sam argued with Carly, but he could tell that they really didn't mean any of it; they were just joking around. And when Sam, determined to prove that he could act immature if he darn well _wanted_ to, came over and started tickling Blaster again, Bumblebee couldn't help but laugh, too.

Primus, he loved his family.

* * *

><p>It might have been an ordinary sight on an ordinary day-a police car driving through the streets of downtown Dayton, Ohio. It might have been just your average, ordinary police car-a black and white Dodge Charger with the words "<em>To Protect and Serve<em>" emblazoned on the side. But if one looked closely, it would easily be revealed that this was not, in fact, an ordinary police car. What gave it away as not being ordinary was the unusual symbol that was in place of where the ram's head Dodge logo would normally be on the side of the car.

That, and the fact that no one was driving.

After a short time driving through Dayton, the police car altered its course and headed out of town, traveling in the direction of the nearby Air Force base. It hadn't driven very far when a bright red Chevy Cruze fell in behind it on the road. The Cruze's headlights flashed once at the police car, and the police car revved its engine in reply as both vehicles continued onwards to the Air Force base.

Like the police car, the Cruze had no driver.

Upon their arrival at the Air Force base, both the police car and the Chevy Cruze were waved through the gate without any of the fuss the guards normally made over cars trying to get through. The guards recognized both vehicles; they had access. Once through the gate, the police car shifted, twisting and altering its shape until a robot had taken its place. It was a robot that _was_ recognizable as once being a police car, but it was now undeniably a robot.

The police car wasn't the only one of the two vehicles that was capable of altering its shape. Within moments, the Chevy Cruze had also changed into a robot, albeit a shorter one than what the police car had become. The Cruze robot came up to the former police car, waving its arms agitatedly.

"Did you see that, Prowl? _Did you see that?_ They just _let_ us in-they didn't check us over to make sure we weren't imposters or _anything!_ If we had been Decepticons-"

"Give it a rest, Red Alert," Prowl said wearily. "We have Energon Detectors set up around the base for a reason. If any unauthorized Energon signature approached the gates, the guards would know about it immediately and not let the intruder in. In any case, the Decepticons haven't been seen for a year. I don't think we have to worry about them right now."

"But…but…" Red Alert continued to fret as he stood wringing his hands in an agitated manner-a habit he had picked up from observing the humans they worked with on the base.

"I'm the Head of Security. I know what I'm talking about," Prowl said in a tone that very clearly meant it was the end of the discussion. "We're _fine_."

Red Alert dropped the subject, but that didn't stop him from muttering and casting nervous glances about as he followed Prowl to the entrance to the hangar that was serving as the main hub for the Autobots during their stay on the base. They were greeted by a small black and silver Autobot that was perched on top of a crate next to the entrance. This particular Autobot looked similar to the deceased Decepticon spy known as Laserbeak, with the differences being that his appearance was less like that of a bird and more like that of a dragon, he was much smaller, and he bore blue optics instead of red. At first, his similar appearance to the Decepticon had been a cause of unease amongst the human members of NEST, but once they had gotten to know him, they had stopped being bothered by his appearance.

Currently, the little Autobot had his head craned up towards the sky as he watched something that was moving across a few clouds very high up.

"Hello Prowl, Red Alert," the dragon-like Autobot said pleasantly, though his gaze didn't leave whatever it was he was watching in the sky.

"Hello, Computron," Prowl responded. "Is Optimus in the hangar?"

"Yes, he is. He just returned from his patrol, actually." The word "patrol" was used loosely; with the war over there really wasn't much to patrol for, but it was a habit that the Autobots couldn't break themselves from, and it helped pass the time while they were waiting for their request for land to build a new, permanent base on to be granted.

"What are you looking at?" Red Alert finally asked, curiosity bringing him out of his worried musings. "What's up there?"

"Silverbolt. Sideswipe and Fireflight are up there with him," Computron replied. "You know how much Fireflight wants to fly-so Silverbolt decided to take him up so he could experience being in the air. Of course, they aren't going to be jumping or anything like that."

Prowl frowned. "Did Optimus approve of this?"

"Yes, as long as, like I said, they don't jump out. Fireflight will be able to fly one day, Prowl. This is a good thing for him to experience."

Prowl vented, the Autobot equivalent of a sigh. "No jumping."

"No jumping," Computron asserted again.

"You're positive?"

"Yes." Computron finally looked away from the sky and turned his gaze onto Prowl. "Look, Prowl, do you honestly think _Optimus Prime_ would allow any sort of activity that might put the Sparklings in danger, especially since he is a caretaker for one of them himself? I know you're the Head of Security, but come on. Don't worry so much."

"As you said, I'm the Head of Security. It's my job to worry," Prowl commented dryly as he entered the hangar, leaving Computron and Red Alert outside.

Red Alert shook his head. "And he says that _I_ worry too much."

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime noticed when Prowl entered the hangar, but he did not move from his position of watching two of the little Sparklings playing with some toy or other that the humans had devised to keep them quiet, entertained, and out of trouble. Instead, he motioned for Prowl to come over to him as he remained where he was. The "patrol" he had just gotten back from had allowed him plenty of time to think, and allowed him to realize just how much time had passed.<p>

One year. It had been one whole year since everything had changed.

When they had arrived at the abandoned Decepticon camp in Africa, only five of the dozens of Hatchlings the Decepticons had been keeping there were still alive. Those five had been spared from sharing the same fate as the others when the Autobots had rescued them, and now, all five of them had grown into happy, healthy Sparklings. Of the five, only four currently lived with their caretakers on base-Fireflight, First Aid, Beachcomber, and Trailbreaker, as they had been named. The fifth, Blaster, lived with Bumblebee, who, in turn, lived with Sam.

Choosing the caretakers for the Hatchlings had been a difficult process, but in the end, the Autobots who rescued the Hatchlings in the first place all become caretakers for them. Ratchet took charge of Beachcomber and First Aid, Sideswipe had Fireflight (and despite his initial uneasiness in taking in Hatchlings whose creators had been Decepticons, Sideswipe had quickly grown to like his young charge), and Optimus took in Trailbreaker. Bumblebee had volunteered to be the one to raise Blaster, and while it had been obvious that there was an instant connect between the two, Optimus had initially been reluctant to allow him to do so. Bumblebee was a trained soldier, yes, but he was still a Youngling himself. Autobot lifecycles were far longer than those of humans, and, in human terms, Bumblebee was about the equivalent of a sixteen-year-old. In the end, however, the young Autobot's earnest pleading combined with the obvious bond he already had with the tiny Hatchling had been impossible to resist, and Optimus had relented and let Bumblebee take charge of Blaster.

And now, he was glad that he had done so. Bumblebee was not only helping Blaster, Blaster was helping Bumblebee. Optimus had forgotten just how much a Sparkling could cheer someone up until he had visited Bumblebee shortly after the young Autobot had taken Blaster home to the apartment in DC, and he had seen first-hand the positive impact of taking care of Blaster was having on the scout.

The death of Ironhide at the hands of the traitor Sentinel Prime a year ago had hit them all hard, but it had absolutely crushed Bumblebee. The gruff old warrior had raised Bumblebee from Sparklinghood, so that was to be expected, but the worst part of it was that it had happened right in front of Bumblebee and the younger Autobot had been absolutely powerless to do anything to stop it. During the following battles, Bumblebee had been an emotional wreck, but he had managed to hold it in for the most part. Once the fight was over, however, he had broken completely down. Not even Sam, who was _always_ able to cheer Bumblebee up, had been able to help relieve Bumblebee's hurt at that moment. Knowing the negative consequences that could result from the emotional trauma Bumblebee had undergone and wanting the help the scout heal, Optimus had taken matters into his own hands and had a talk with the younger Autobot. Having the Prime tell him that he did not have to grieve for Ironhide alone, that Ironhide would not want him to be mourning forever, had helped Bumblebee come to the realization that his caretaker would want him to be happy. Still, even though he had cheered up slightly after his talk with Optimus, Bumblebee had still been quiet and depressed most of the time while they were helping with the reconstruction in Chicago, not to mention that he had not been getting the recharge he needed as every time he tried, he had nightmares.

Optimus had no doubt that staying at the scene of the battle was not helping Bumblebee heal like he should and knew that if the Youngling stayed it was very possible he would never recover fully, so he had not hesitated in granting Bumblebee's request to go home with Sam. When the Prime had decided to come to ask Bumblebee to accompany him to Africa to investigate the Cybertronian distress signal, seeing how much more considerably cheerful Bumblebee had become simply by just staying with Sam had almost made him change his mind about requesting Bumblebee's assistance. Almost, but not quite. And now, he was glad that he had not changed his mind.

When they had found the Hatchlings, Bumblebee couldn't stop staring at them. Optimus had found this both amusing and undeniably sad. Bumblebee had never before seen a Hatchling or any other Cybertronian younger than he was; those on Cybertron who would have been the same age as he was or younger had all been killed-Bumblebee had been the only survivor in the Hatchling-Sparkling age bracket when the Youth Sectors had been attacked. This was the very first time Bumblebee had been in contact with a Cybertronian that was younger than he was.

They'd each reacted to the Hatchlings in a different way. Ratchet had been concerned for their health and relieved when he realized they had gotten there in time to save the five that were still living; Sideswipe had been uneasy about the whole thing as they were Decepticon Hatchlings; Optimus had known that the little ones were innocent of whatever their creators had done and needed the Autobots to care for them. And Bumblebee…

Optimus had noticed right away that Bumblebee was holding and regarding the smallest Hatchling with the same air of protectiveness and affection he had when he was with Sam. It was the beginning of a bond between the two that became clearer every time Bumblebee was around the tiny Hatchling. And that, when the Prime and Ratchet had finally agreed to allow Bumblebee to take Blaster in, had been the deciding factor. Whatever his actual age and inexperience when it came to dealing with a Hatchling, it was obvious that Bumblebee would take good care of Blaster.

When he had visited a few weeks after Bumblebee had taken Blaster back to the apartment in DC, he had been surprised and relieved to find Bumblebee acting more like his old self, and Sam had confided in the Prime that Bumblebee wasn't moping around as much and had pretty much stopped having nightmares when he recharged.

"_I know he's my guardian and responsible for me, and since we're brothers, too, I'm also kind of responsible for him. But with Blaster, it's a different kind of responsible, and I think Bee likes being able to take care of someone younger than he is for a change, instead of always being the young one everyone else has to take care of. I think it's because, even though he's never said so, inside he realizes that he can take care of Blaster just like Ironhide took care of him. And that makes him feel better."_ That was what Sam had told Optimus. He had summed it up perfectly.

Being responsible for someone on a different level than his normal guardian protocols were for, being able to do the same for Blaster as Ironhide had done for him, was allowing Bumblebee to move on.

The other Hatchlings-Sparklings now-were doing the same for the other Autobots, as well.

They were all moving on.

"Did you find anything unusual on patrol?" Optimus finally spoke, turning to face Prowl.

"Nothing. Nothing at all. I know it may be too much to hope for, but I am really beginning to believe that we aren't going to see any more of the Decepticons."

"We can only hope," Optimus responded, returning his attention to the Sparklings.

"Bumblebee and the Witwicky family will be arriving soon, yes?" Prowl had never met the humans, but he had heard of them, and was looking forward to meeting them for the first time-not that he would ever admit it to anyone, of course.

"Yes. They should be arriving at their new home at the end of the week. Which means," the Prime chuckled slightly, "That things will be getting quite a bit noisier around here, and these two and the others will be getting another Sparkling to play with."

"At least we have more than enough Autobots here to keep watch on five Sparklings," Prowl mused.

"Indeed," Optimus agreed, and then stepped forward to interfere with the Sparklings' play, which was getting a little out of hand. "No, Trailbreaker. You do not hit others with your toys, understand?"

Trailbreaker's face fell a little as his caretaker's gentle scolding caused him to realize just what he had done to his friend. Like Optimus, his armor was red and blue, and his optics were the same purple color as the other four Sparklings'. He was the biggest of the Sparklings and the oldest, and while he was a very friendly Sparkling, he often was too rowdy in his play without meaning to be, simply for the fact that he was still too young to realize that he was stronger than the others. "'kay."

"Tell Beachcomber that you are sorry."

"S'ry," Trailbreaker mumbled sadly, giving the other Sparkling a downcast, apologetic look.

"You won't do it again, will you?"

The Sparkling looked solemnly at his caretaker and shook his head. "No."

"Good." Optimus gave the toy back to Trailbreaker, and the Sparkling began to play with his friend again, only he was much less rowdy this time.

Prowl tried to hide a smile at the sight of the two Sparklings playing together, and succeeded only slightly in doing so. Optimus watched them, daring to allow himself to hope that what Prowl had told him about his beliefs regarding the Decepticons was true.

_Primus forbid they ever have to experience war,_ the Prime thought. _Please, let them grow up knowing only peace._


	3. Chain of Command

**A/N**_**:**__ The idea of there being unrefined Energon naturally occurring on Earth comes from the Revenge of the Fallen prequel novel, The Veiled Threat._

_I'll warn you right now that I'm still learning how to write for Decepticons since I prefer dealing with Autobots. Hopefully I'll improve as this story moves along._

_Some more updates on what characters are doing, Decepticon side this time. Still kind of slow, but the action begins proper in the next chapter, so hang in there!_

_And since I was asked, here's a handy list of the new Autobots and their Alt Modes:_

_Prowl-Dodge Charger, Police Car model_

_Red Alert-Chevy Cruze_

_Computron-Toshiba Laptop, Satellite model_

_Silverbolt-Boeing C-17 Globemaster III_

_There's actually two more new Autobots who haven't been introduced yet. One of them is an OC, and the other is a canon character. But as they haven't appeared or been mentioned yet, I'm keeping both their names and Alt Modes secret for now._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Two-Chain of Command**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 3,928**

* * *

><p>THE SIERRA MADRE MOUNTAIN RANGE WAS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, AND it attracted the attention of hikers frequently. One such hiker was making his way along a trail alone. He had been going to go with friends, having visited the country specifically for such a thing, but something or other had come up and he was the only one who had be able to go. He wasn't about to let the absence of his friends spoil the hike he had planned, however.<p>

A shadow falling on him from overhead made him look up in surprise; there hadn't been any clouds in the sky a few minutes earlier. However, it wasn't a cloud that was causing the shadow; it was some sort of strangely-shaped aircraft. He recognized what it was from pictures he had seen before, but it didn't make any sense. He barely had time to wonder, _'What is a Stealth Bomber doing all the way out here?', _before a noise that was both familiar and loud caused him to turn around.

A bright red motorcycle was zooming up the trail towards him. This wasn't all that odd…people often came up these trails to ride, even though it technically wasn't really safe or approved of by the local authorities to do so. However, the hiker was getting an odd vibe from the approaching motorcycle, and as it got closer, he paled as he saw the reason why.

No one was riding the motorcycle. It was moving on its own.

The motorcycle suddenly began to twist and alter its shape, and he realized that he had better run, but then remembered that there wasn't any possible way _for_ him to outrun it.

As the robot that used to be the motorcycle launched itself at him with a vicious snarl, his last thought was, _'Maybe I shouldn't have come here by myself.'_

* * *

><p>The Stealth Bomber changed direction abruptly, and shot back the way it had come, towards the location of motorcycle robot, and, in turn, the former location of the human hiker. As it neared, it pulled into a nosedive straight towards the ground. Before it crashed, however, it too began to alter its shape just as the motorcycle had done. When it hit the ground, it was no longer a Stealth Bomber, but a robot that towered over the former motorcycle.<p>

"Bullseye, what the _frag_ did you do _that_ for?" the Stealth Bomber hissed in a low, angry voice. "That was completely _unnecessary!_"

The one-time motorcycle glared back and shook blood off of the claws on one hand. "Don't you tell me what I can and can't do, Salvo. I don't have to take any slag from _you!_"

Salvo was not about to let it go. "Yes, you _do_ have to take slag from me. I'm Second-in-Command now, or have you forgotten that? Don't think for one moment that I won't report this when we return to base! That human was not going to interfere with our scouting patrol. There was no reason to kill him. We don't want to attract any attention to ourselves-we're bad off enough as it is. If humans start disappearing in the mountains, rescue parties will come, and then we'll be discovered. How long do you think it will take for the Autobots to be informed of our presence here if the human authorities start finding mutilated bodies with Energon tracings on them?"

Bullseye kicked the remains of the human angrily, and then turned to face Salvo again. "He could have blabbed about seeing you. How many military aircraft just happen to fly around here?"

"The human military does field tests all the time. A regular human-which this one is, or was, judging by what's left of the clothing- wouldn't have known the difference. But, never mind. What's done is done. We need to get on with our mission." Salvo gestured to the human remains. "Get rid of that."

"How?"

"Use your imagination. Bury it, disintegrate it, whatever. Just don't leave any trace this time," Salvo commented dryly. "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point." With that last comment, Salvo jumped up, transforming back into his Stealth Bomber shape, and shot off back in the direction he had been going previously.

With a wicked grin, Bullseye shifted his left arm into a plasma cannon and aimed at the human remains.

"Not a trace."

* * *

><p><em>The problem with being a Decepticon,<em> Salvo mused, _is you really get no proper respect at all unless you are firmly in the position of a leader. And, if you aren't in charge, you have to take whatever you can get_.

Salvo wasn't the leader, at least, not anymore. After the battle of Chicago he had quickly taken temporary command of the Decepticon survivors, getting them away from the accursed Autobots and their human allies. His leadership was intended to be only temporary, and it was; six months after the battle, two new Decepticons had arrived on the planet, and one of them was very highly ranked and therefore had taken over the leadership role. Salvo had willingly handed the title over, but the new leader, mech called Cyclonus-the Decepticon Air Commander from the days of the war on Cybertron-had been so impressed with how he had managed to hold what few Decepticons remained on Earth together he had given him the title of Second-in-Command. The only one who didn't really respect him in his new rank was Bullseye, but that was nothing new. The two of them had always been at odds with each other, even before his promotion-they had been rivals ever since they had first become Decepticons. Bullseye was always extremely aggressive and impulsive in his arguments, but Salvo simply viewed them with a mixture of amusement and bored detachment, though, thanks to the current situation the Decepticon faction found itself in, his patience with the arrogant red mech was finally starting to wear thin, and wear thin _quickly_.

Bullseye aside, he was given a certain degree of respect from the others and while he enjoyed that, Salvo had no plans of staying in his current position of power in what remained of the once-mighty Decepticon army. Command wasn't his thing-he wasn't power-hungry like most Decepticons, and the only reason he had taken charge after the battle in Chicago was because he knew that there was safety in numbers and the survivors would have a better chance of remaining online if they stayed together and as far away from the Autobots as possible. To tell the truth, he preferred recon missions and spying more. He looked forward to a day when some new Decepticon would arrive that he could throw the title of Second-in-Command at. Right now, there wasn't anyone competent enough in the normal ranks to take the job.

Had he been in robot mode, he would have shaken his head to clear his processors._ Stop reminiscing, glitch head,_ he scolded himself. _Focus on the job. If this patrol is successful and we find what we hope to find, our troubles will be less and we will hopefully have the strength to fulfill our new leader's plan._

The plan. Cyclonus was always talking about some "plan", that, once executed, would mean the end of the Decepticons' troubles and the destruction of the Autobots for good. He never mentioned the details of the plan. Not even Salvo knew about it. Only Cyclonus and the Decepticon who had arrived with him, Scourge-who seemed to have the role of a bodyguard or just an all-around thug (more so than any normal Decepticon)-knew exactly what the plan was. Everyone else was simply kept in the dark.

_I don't care,_ Salvo thought fiercely. _Anything has to be better than just sitting around, cowering in the mountains waiting for the Energon deprivation to rust our systems._ His comlink pinged and he accepted the transmission when he recognized Bullseye's frequency.

_Well?_

_There was no human on the trail back there, _Bullseye transmitted. Even through the comlink, Salvo could practically hear the smugness of his annoying companion. _Well, nothing left of a human, anyway._

_Good,_ Salvo sent back. _Keep on the trail. I'm almost there._ That sent, he broke off communications, spying the destination of the patrol he was on.

A currently abandoned mining site.

Salvo quickly headed for the ground, initiating his Transform sequence as he did so. Upon landing, he briefly took in his surroundings. All in all, it looked like a typical abandoned mining or excavation site-pits half dug, a mine shaft that was rusting and badly in need of repair, and several broken-down construction machines. He scanned some of the rocks nearby, and his optics widened at what he got from the readings.

"Amazing. These humans have hit an unrefined Energon vein big-time and they haven't even realized it," Salvo mused in fascination. He reached down and picked up a hefty chunk of rock, scanning it. He smiled in grim satisfaction at the results, and began to gather any of the rocks that had readings matching or close to that of the first.

They currently had no way to refine the raw Energon they found. Unrefined Energon was not as useful as refined Energon; they would need to ingest more into their systems to keep themselves functioning properly than they would with refined Energon. It _would_ keep them alive, however, and that was the important thing.

He had been gathering the unrefined substance for about twenty minutes and had accumulated a fairly large pile of rocks already when Bullseye came roaring up into the abandoned mining site in motorcycle form. Seeing what Salvo was doing, he too changed into robot mode and came over to see what had been found. He spoke only one word.

"Energon?"

Salvo nodded. "Energon."

Any thoughts of continuing their earlier argument were pushed aside, and Bullseye began to gather rocks with the same readings as well.

Even the most argument-loving of the Decepticons knew that gathering the means for survival was more important than arguing about whether or not the killing of a worthless human insect was necessary.

* * *

><p>There was an old saying among the humans. "<em>Cut off the head and the body dies.<em>"

Cyclonus often found himself musing about how such a simple, primitive, and disgusting race could be so morbid in their philosophies and so clever in them at the same time.

In this case, the saying was true-to an extent. Without Megatron to lead them, to give them a purpose, and with their numbers severely reduced after the battle in Chicago, the existence the surviving Deceptions now lived was pathetic. Huddling out of sight in the mountains, they were forced to scrounge around for whatever unrefined Energon they could find, but most days, they couldn't find any at all. They were weak, their numbers were low, they were _starving_. The Autobots had done this to them, and every single one of the surviving Decepticons fervently wished they were able to exact revenge. But they weren't. At one time, the Decepticons had overwhelmed the Autobots. But now, they were too few, compared to their earlier numbers, and far too weak. And the Autobots had the humans on their side-something that the Decepticons had once scoffed at, but the last battle had shown them that the humans could be every bit as dangerous as the Autobots when it came to a fight. If they attacked now, they would be completely wiped out.

But the one thing that human saying did not mention was that, in rare cases, the body can grow a new head.

When Cyclonus had arrived on Earth with Scourge six months previous, he had been absolutely disgusted with what the Autobots had forced the Decepticons to become. He had been expecting to find Megatron leading his army to victory against the Autobots. This broken, pathetic gathering was not even _worthy_ of the title "army" any more. What was worse, there was in-fighting, which, to be honest, had occurred before now, but it was never this bad. Seeing all of the other Decepticons fighting and squandering their little remaining strength over who got what recharge spot, who had to keep the base secure, who got which bit of unrefined Energon…it was sickening.

But soon, it would all change.

Cyclonus had not been idle in his journey through space. He had learned things, taking the time to analyze the old, forgotten Cybertronian legends. One legend in particular had caught his attention, one that mentioned a being who was powerful enough to assist the Decepticons in rising to strength once again and return to them the power to take their rightful place as rulers of the known universe. It would be risky, incredibly so, and if not carried out exactly right it could mean the destruction of all the Decepticons, but they had nothing to lose, really. Fortunately, Cyclonus had a plan, a carefully thought-out plan, that would hopefully eliminate the risks. And once the plan was executed in its entirety, nothing would stand in the Decepticons' way ever again. Not even the mighty Optimus Prime and his legion of human insects.

When he spoke of the plan-_never mind the details_, he would say when the others asked him what the plan was, _you will learn of them later_-he always painted a wonderful picture of the glorious Decepticon rise back into power. Perhaps it was because they had nothing to lose. Perhaps it was because they knew that any plan had to be better than the miserable life they were all leading now. Whatever the case, the Decepticons had rallied to him. Cyclonus had, in a sense, given the Decepticons hope. Sick, twisted, with a promise of future violence and slaughter-but hope nonetheless.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shout from the entrance to the valet that served as the Decepticon's makeshift base.

"They're back! Salvo and Bullseye are back!"

Cyclonus stood up, and he could see the black-armored form of Salvo and the smaller, red-armored mech that was Bullseye standing next to him. The two of them had several containers with them, and Cyclonus didn't need time to figure out what was in them.

"Ah, so they did find Energon at that abandoned mine," Cyclonus mused. "And quite a lot of it too. No wonder it took them so long to get back."

Like Cyclonus, the bulk of the surviving Decepticons had quickly figured out what was in the containers Salvo and Bullseye had brought back. They crowded forward, each one jostling and fighting for the better position as they all strove to get at the contents of the containers.

"_ENOUGH!_" Salvo bellowed. The Decepticons immediately ceased their pushing and shoving. Even when he was angry, Salvo rarely yelled, so when he raised his voice, the others would listen. "We're going to do this _civilized_. Everyone form a line. Single file. You take what you are given and _NO MORE._ Anyone who complains or tries to take another's share will not get any at all. Now, _FALL IN!_"

The Decepticons obeyed, filing into a line and taking Energon from either Salvo or Bullseye, one at a time. Cyclonus watched for a moment, then began to walk over to claim his share. Scourge followed closely behind.

To Cyclonus, Salvo was the good out of the bad. He was a strong leader, was respected, was obeyed, and a fierce fighter. What was more, he was loyal. When Cyclonus had arrived, he had taken the position of leader from Salvo. Most Decepticons acting as leader would have tried to take the title back from him, but Salvo had willingly handed it over. Despite the sad state of things, Salvo had managed to hold the surviving Decepticons together relatively well, and that had impressed Cyclonus enough to grant him the position of Second-in-Command. And he was competent in the role, as well. Cyclonus had no doubt that Salvo's skill would be essential to the success of the plan.

Bullseye…well, Bullseye was difficult. He was stubborn, aggressive, and not very concerned with following the orders that he was given, far more so than any normal Decepticon. His only assets were his strength in battle, and the fact that his attacks had never been known to miss their target-hence his name. If it weren't for those two abilities, he would be useless, and Cyclonus would not hesitate in killing him, for more than one reason. Bullseye had come close several times to revealing their position and location to outsiders-humans-and he didn't seem to care. He was always challenging both the authority of Cyclonus _AND_ Salvo. Cyclonus fully intended to put a stop to it. But not yet-Bullseye's strength was still needed, and until he served his part in the plan, he would be allowed to live. And, Cyclonus knew that the Energon they had found today, combined with what he had finally decided to reveal to the others, would be enough to buy Bullseye's cooperation for a little bit longer.

Cyclonus approached the head of the line, and the Decepticons still waiting for their share of Energon backed off. Salvo handed him a chunk of the unrefined substance, and said to him, "We're in luck. There is Energon to spare at the mining site. We brought back as much as we could, but this doesn't even amount to half of what we saw there. And it's pretty high grade, for unrefined Energon."

"Excellent. That is just the news I needed to hear." Now they had Energon, and as much as they needed to regain their strength. That meant only one thing.

It was time to reveal part of the plan to the other Decepticons.

He turned to face the others in the camp-both those who had taken their share and those who had yet to do so-and after calmly regarding them for a moment, he finally announced, "Finish your Energon and then gather at the Pinnacle. I have a very important announcement to make." He then turned, taking his Energon with him as he headed towards the Pinnacle.

The Decepticons looked at each other, at once both apprehensive and curious.

Could this finally be the announcement of the plan they were constantly being refused the details of? Those who had Energon hurried to finish it, and those who were still waiting forced themselves to be patient.

It had to be important. Cyclonus rarely called meetings together like this.

* * *

><p>The Pinnacle was the name Cyclonus had given to the broken, jagged spire of rock that jutted out above the rest of the valley floor. It was slightly flattened at the top and more than wide enough for the three highest-ranking Decepticons at the moment-Cyclonus, the new leader, Salvo, the Second-in-Command, and Scourge, the bodyguard who carried out Cyclonus's dirty work when necessary-to stand side-by-side on the surface. The clear space in front of the Pinnacle made it the ideal place to hold meetings, but meetings did not happen often as there usually wasn't anything to meet about. Cyclonus stood in the middle on the top of the Pinnacle, with Salvo on his right and Scourge on his left. He surveyed the Decepticons gathered below. They were squabbling <em>again<em>, this time over who got to stand where.

Salvo raised his voice again. "Will you lot kindly sit down and _SHUT UP?_"

The others fell quiet. Cyclonus stepped forward. He surveyed them all again before he began the speech that he had been going over in his head, saving it for the right time and place. Now, the time had finally come for him to give it.

"Decepticons! Look at where you stand now. Look at the life you lead. Look at how few of us there are. We have sustained losses. Our numbers have been cut devastatingly, and by whom? Who is the cause for all our suffering? I'll tell you, though I am sure you already know who it is. The Autobots and their cursed human pets are responsible for this pathetic excuse for living we know find ourselves in."

There was a growl of assent from the Decepticons gathered below. One or two of them even muttered darkly about just how they thought their enemies should pay for doing this to them.

"I hear you muttering down there," Cyclonus said, pointing to one of the Decepticons who had done so. The Decepticon looked frightened at being caught, but the look of fright changed to surprise when Cyclonus continued. "You are right. The Autobots deserve to pay. The humans deserve to pay. They _both_ deserve to suffer. And they will, I can assure you."

"How?" A Decepticon asked. "There aren't very many of us. And the only time we even seemed to stand a chance against them was when Megatron was leading us."

"While we do still outnumber them, you are right about there being too few of us to meet the Autobots head on in order to overwhelm them like we used to do," Cyclonus agreed. "But that, my friends, is where the plan comes into play."

There was a moment of silence, and then the same Decepticon from before spoke up again. "But what is the plan?"

"Before I came to Earth, I had quite a lengthy journey through the stars. I learned things, made discoveries. There is someone out there, an extremely powerful being, that we can ally ourselves with and, by doing so, our victory over the Autobots and their human pets is assured. My discoveries allowed me to come up with this plan. It will be a challenge, but now that we have enough Energon, we will be able to do all parts of the plan successfully. One of the necessary parts will be ours soon enough. But the vital part, the part we need before we even think of gathering the others, is the one that may provide the most challenge." He paused and looked over the Decepticons.

There was an uneasy silence.

Finally, just as the silence was beginning to drag on a little too long, Salvo spoke up, turning to face Cyclonus. "What is this vital part of the plan that we need to perform?"

Cyclonus looked evenly at his Second-in-Command. "Without this part, the entire plan will fall apart. It is crucial that we perform it successfully." He looked over the assembled Decepticons once more. "But that will be revealed to you in time. You are dismissed."

There was a great deal of uneasy muttering as the Decepticons slowly dispersed, making it perfectly clear that they weren't satisfied with the scant information they had finally been given. But it was also obvious that the other Decepticons were too afraid of Cyclonus-and Scourge-to complain directly to the leader triad about it.

Once the rest of the Decepticons had left audio range and the three commanders were more or less alone, Salvo turned to face Cyclonus once more.

"That's not much to go by. It won't keep them under control much longer."

"I don't trust any of them enough to let them know the exact details at the moment," Cyclonus said calmly. "But you, I know for a fact to be loyal."

Salvo frowned. "Then what is it you plan for us to do?"

Cyclonus was quiet for a moment, watching the few Decepticons closest to the pinnacle arguing with each other. Even though they were out of audio range, he took no risks, keeping his voice low enough so that only Salvo and Scourge could hear him when he spoke again.

"We need to locate and secure Lord Megatron's remains."


	4. The Warning

**A/N**_**:**__ Carly, Carly, I don't know what to do with you. You're frustratingly hard to write for. So don't be surprised if you don't get all that big of a role in the story. Sorry._

_Now, I'm not too sure about where such a place would be near Dayton, but I think an old farm would be the perfect place for Bumblebee and his family-lots of open space and isolated enough for the 'bots to move freely about. I've found one such place, but it's a "nature center", so it's out. So, I'm making such a place exist nearby. The house itself is actually based on a house close to where I live, which I've always liked the design of. Coincidently, said inspirational house is also located on farmland._

_I think Sam and Carly would trust the Autobots to pick out a nice house for them without the two of them actually seeing it first._

_The idea of Sam being able to play the guitar comes from Dark of the Moon. In the scene where Sam is talking to Bumblebee at night in the living room of his apartment, you can see two guitars next to the window/door Wheelie stands in. Carly doesn't strike me as a guitar player (not that she wouldn't…I just don't see it) so I'm guessing the guitars belong to Sam. I thought that was pretty cool, so I'm using it here._

_Starting off pretty slowly, but this chapter is where things actually start happening, so nothing to worry about. We just had to get everyone into (relatively) the same place. Let's get started, eh?_

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts_

"normal speech"

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Three-The Warning**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 6,392**

* * *

><p>FIRESTORM HAD LOST TRACK OF HOW FAR HE HAD TRAVELED; THAT WAS the problem with traveling through the stars. After a while, even when you had detailed logs of any familiar stars, everything started looking the same, and the fact that there was no proper direction in space did not help matters. The stars in this area were unfamiliar, anyway, so the star logs that he currently held were of no use. The only clues he had to let him know that he was heading in the right direction were the faint traces of the transmission he had picked up from Optimus Prime. All he had to do was follow the trail and he would find the transmission's origin point, on Earth. Just to be sure, though, before he made planetfall, he would check and see if the transmission's origin point on the planet had changed to a different location; time had passed since he had first picked it up, and he had his doubts that the Autobots would still be in the same area, especially if it had been the sight of a battle.<p>

_Just a bit longer,_ he thought to himself, urging his Energon-deprived systems to go on. _Just a little longer, a little farther, and I will be on Earth._

Soon, very soon.

Once again he felt the chill of the shadow pursuing him, and he sped onward.

He only hoped that he would arrive on Earth soon enough to prepare the Autobots to fight back.

* * *

><p>"So which Autobot is it that's going to meet up with us and show us where our new house is? Is it one of the ones we've met already, or is it someone new?"<p>

Still in Camaro form, Bumblebee warbled a little, shifting up on his tires a bit in a shrug in response to Sam's question, although he was careful not to move too much, as Blaster was recharging on his backseat and he didn't want to wake the little Sparkling up. _"Your guess is as good as mine,"_ He offered quietly through his radio as his verbal response. The young Autobot was being perfectly honest; he had no idea who it was that was coming to show them to their new home. They'd finally begun their move, and after a few days of driving they had entered Ohio that afternoon. Shortly after they had arrived in the state, Bumblebee had contacted Optimus, and the Prime had told him that one of the Autobots would meet up with them just outside of Dayton and show them to the house that had been chosen for them. The Prime hadn't said who it would be meeting them, though.

Which brought them to their current location-a basically-deserted truck stop style gas station on the outskirts of town. It was actually a pretty convenient rendezvous point; the moving van had been really low on gas anyway and this was as good an opportunity as any to fill the tank up, since they had to wait for whoever the Autobot was that was meeting them to arrive. Sam had been driving the moving van, something Bumblebee had initially not been too thrilled about, but he knew that Sam and Carly taking charge of the moving van while he followed was better than having a driver they didn't know do it. Even though the Autobots were public knowledge, and had been for some time, Bumblebee preferred that they didn't have anyone they didn't know near, especially since they had a Sparkling to take care of. Not that any human would be stupid enough to try anything with a Camaro that could turn into a sixteen-foot-tall robot armed with a plasma cannon nearby, though. However, it was better to be safe than sorry; a lifetime of experience had taught Bumblebee and every other Autobot that.

As of now, Sam had finished refueling the moving van (with a vehement _"blech!"_ from the watching Bumblebee, who thought that gasoline was one of the most disgusting things ever, to Sam's amusement) and they were all taking advantage of the break from traveling to relax while waiting for their Autobot guide to show up. After promising not to touch anything, Wheelie and Brains had climbed into the cab of the moving van and were looking it over. Sam was leaning against Bumblebee's driver's side door with Carly standing next to him. Buster was lying next to the van, and Blaster was, of course, still in recharge on Bumblebee's back seat. Bumblebee himself was just enjoying taking a break from driving and talking to his human friends (which was something he had been unable to do while they were driving as Sam and Carly had been in the moving van, and not with him).

"I hope whoever it is gets here soon," Carly put in. "I don't mind waiting but I want to get to our new home."

"Yeah, me too," Sam agreed. "Not looking forward to all the unpacking, though."

"I'm not, either, but it has to be done," Carly replied.

"_I can help-move in some furniture,"_ Bumblebee offered.

"That'd be great, Bee," Sam said with a smile. "Save us the strain, right?"

"_Uh-huh,"_ Bumblebee replied. A faint blip on his sensors suddenly caught his attention, and he focused on it for a few seconds before letting out a soft, excited chirp as he recognized the signal. Finding an appropriate radio clip, he cheerfully broadcasted out, _"He's here! He's here!"_, although he was careful to keep the volume of his radio low enough that it wouldn't wake Blaster up.

"Who's here?" Sam asked curiously, and then turned when the sound of an engine answered his question.

A bright yellow Corvette Stingray drove into view, flashing its headlights at them. Bumblebee chirped a greeting at the newcomer.

"Sideswipe?" Carly guessed.

Sam shook his head. "No, Sideswipe is silver."

"Maybe he changed the color of his paintjob?"

"No, he's my brother, actually, and he couldn't pull off this look even if he tried," the yellow Corvette announced as it pulled up next to Bumblebee. "My name is Sunstreaker. So you two are Bumblebee's human friends, huh? I've heard about you. Sam and Carly, right?"

"Yeah, that's us," Sam answered.

"Nice to meet you, Sunstreaker," Carly added.

"Pleasure's all mine," Sunstreaker replied airily, and then he turned his attention to Bumblebee. He gave the younger Autobot a playful, gentle nudge. "Hey, Bumblebee. How are you doing? I think you've grown since the last time I saw you."

"_Thank you-I'm-Just fine,"_ Bumblebee replied. Sunstreaker seemed stuck-up at first, but Bumblebee knew that the older Autobot was a good friend and cared for the other Autobots, especially his brother. Bumblebee had lots of memories of spending time with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe (aka getting into trouble with their encouragement) when he was younger, and it was good to see the yellow twin again.

"That's good to hear," Sunstreaker said, giving the younger Autobot another nudge. "Who's that you've got napping on your backseat?"

"Blaster," Bumblebee replied, affection and pride evident in his voice.

"Oh, that's right, one of the rescued Sparklings, huh?"

Bumblebee chirped in confirmation.

"Never thought I'd ever see you taking care of a Sparkling, Bumblebee. But you're perfect for the job. Just leave teaching him how to annoy Prowl to me and Sideswipe."

Bumblebee made a noise that could easily be interpreted as "You wish". _There will be no teaching Blaster to do anything like that,_ he retorted via comm, though inwardly he was happy that his older friend though he was perfect for being a Sparkling caretaker. _Don't even think about it. He's got enough bad influences as it is._

Sunstreaker laughed. "Calm down, Bumblebee, I was just kidding." He shifted his attention to Wheelie and Brains, who were hanging out of the window of the moving van, watching him. "You two must be the 'Cons who joined up a while back, before I got here. What were your names again?"

"I'm Wheelie and he's Brains," Wheelie responded, jerking a thumb towards Brains, who waved.

"Brains, huh? Computron told us about _you_. He said you were interesting because you like to argue," Sunstreaker mused.

"That's me, all right," Brains agreed.

"I take it that these two are the aforementioned 'bad influences'?" Sunstreaker asked Bumblebee.

"_The one and the same!"_ Bumblebee confirmed smugly.

"Hey, now," Wheelie protested. "We're just teaching the little guy how to have fun!"

Before a full-fledged argument could break out, however, Sam interfered. "Hey, guys, come on. Don't start. We've been on the road all day and we're all tired. Sunstreaker's here for a reason, remember? One that doesn't involve causing annoyances to anybody?"

"That's right," Sunstreaker agreed, focusing his attention on the two humans. His next words, however, were directed to everyone present, not just Sam and Carly. "So…are you all ready to go to your new home?"

The eager looks on the faces of Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains, along with a happy chirp from Bumblebee, was all that Sunstreaker needed for an answer.

* * *

><p>Sunstreaker wasn't too hard to keep up with on the road. Like Bumblebee, his bright yellow paintjob made him easy to spot, and, in turn, easy to keep in sight. This was a good thing, seeing as how Sunstreaker was the only one in their little group that knew where they were going. Once they pulled off the main road and started heading into more of a countryside area outside the city, however, there was less traffic and less of a chance of getting separated from Sunstreaker. To anyone watching, it certainly had to be an odd sight-a caravan of vehicles consisting of a yellow Corvette, a moving van, and a black-striped yellow Camaro.<p>

As they drove, Sunstreaker conversed with Bumblebee over their comms, which was something Bumblebee was grateful for, as it not only gave him a chance to catch up with his friend; it also helped pass the time during the drive.

_So, how many of the others have arrived?_ Bumblebee asked curiously. _Last I heard was about Prowl and Computron's landing near DC._

_Well, Prowl and Computron are here, like you said,_ Sunstreaker responded, listing the names of the newer Autobots. _Silverbolt's here, too, and Red Alert just arrived a few months ago. And there's me, of course. That's about it, but I know we'll be getting more sooner or later._

_Any sign of the Decepticons?_ Bumblebee asked warily.

_Not a trace. Prowl thinks we may have finally seen the last of them, and Optimus hopes he's right,_ Sunstreaker replied. _Me? I'll miss blasting the slag out of the 'cons, but I have to admit the idea of finally having peace is nice._

_I haven't seen any trace of them, either,_ Bumblebee admitted. _I'm all for never seeing them again. I don't want to fight anymore-I just want to spend time with my family._

_And you will, don't worry,_ Sunstreaker assured his younger friend. _We're almost there, Bumblebee. You and your human friends are going to love this place._

Sunstreaker made a left turn, which took him onto a driveway that led to the house that Bumblebee and his family would now call home.

The property had clearly been a farm at one point-fields that had a cultivated look despite being overgrown and an old barn were indicative of that. The house itself was shaped like a barn, but it was obviously much newer than the actual barn itself was. There was plenty of space all around, and the property was isolated enough so that Bumblebee and the others could move around without worrying about attracting any unwanted attention (because drawing strangers in just to look at the Autobots would not be very peaceful). Bumblebee clicked softly in amazement as he took in the new surroundings.

_Like it?_ Sunstreaker asked.

_It's wonderful,_ Bumblebee replied, then hesitated. _Will I be able to get into the house?_ Living in the apartment back in DC had been nice, and he'd gotten used to living inside a human dwelling instead of in a garage. Not that he would complain if he couldn't do so here, he just hoped that he would be able to live in the house here as well.

Sunstreaker worded his reply in a way that implied he would be laughing if he had been speaking out loud. _Knew you'd ask that. If you guys had come when we first found this place, no, you wouldn't have been able to. But we were able to pull some strings once we got this property and had a large enough door installed in the back so that you can get in._

_Thank you,_ Bumblebee responded, relieved.

_You're welcome,_ Sunstreaker said, and Bumblebee swore that he could detect the older mech's grin even though Sunstreaker was unable to do so in vehicle mode and the comms didn't really transfer emotion well. _But really, _the Corvette continued seriously. _Optimus is the one you should thank. He's the one who found this place._

_I'll thank him whenever I see him next, _Bumblebee promised as the moving van and the two Autobots came to a stop next to the house.

_Oh, speaking of that, Bumblebee, I've got something else to tell you,_ Sunstreaker informed the younger Autobot. _But first, let's get the human verdict on this place, okay?_

During the brief exchange between the two Autobots, Carly and Sam had exited the moving van, Wheelie, Brains, and Buster coming out behind them. The two humans were looking at the house and surrounding property in awe.

"What do you think?" Sunstreaker called.

"It's just…" Sam turned in a circle, taking in the whole property. "I mean…_wow_."

"It's perfect," Carly replied, turning to face the watching Autobots. "Just perfect."

"Glad to hear that you like it," Sunstreaker said, pleased. "Oh, yeah, the keys to the house are in my glovebox. You need those."

After Sam had taken the keys from Sunstreaker, the Corvette-formed Autobot began to speak again. "Now, listen, I've got to run-I'm due for patrol duty right about now. But if you need anything, the base is not too far away, and you can just have Bumblebee here give us a shout. That okay, Bumblebee?" He asked the younger Autobot.

Bumblebee perked up on his tires a bit and gave a positive chirp in conformation.

"Good. Just do that," Sunstreaker continued, "And we'll be here as soon as we can."

"We will, Sunstreaker." Sam nodded. "Thanks for bringing us here."

"Yes, thank you," Carly added.

"Tell Optimus 'thank you' for us, too, okay?" Sam requested.

"As to that…" There was no mistaking the grin in Sunstreaker's vocal tone now that he was speaking aloud. "Why don't you all thank him yourself? Optimus asked me to invite all of you over to the base tonight. Nothing fancy, it's just sort of…a…well, no, _party_ isn't really the right word…well, a 'welcome-to-your-new-home' gathering, anyway."

"Wow, really?" Sam was surprised. He'd expected to be invited to the base, but not right away. He turned to Carly. "What do you think? We'll get to see everyone again and thank them for helping get a house for us."

Carly nodded. "After all they've done recently, how can we say no? And you're right. It will be nice to see everyone again."

Wheelie and Brains came over from exploring the outside of the house.

"A party?" Wheelie asked. "Count us in."

"Bee?" Sam questioned, looking over at his friend.

Bumblebee didn't even have to think about it, and his radio let everyone know that in no uncertain terms. _"The gang's all here-let's go-have some fun!"_

Sam grinned, turning back to look at Sunstreaker. "We'll be there."

"Great! I'll let Optimus and everyone else know when I get back on base. In the meantime, remember what I said about what to do if you ever need anything. Oh, and it's easy to get to the base-just follow the signs on the highway, they'll lead you right to it. The guards will be expecting you and show you the right place to go once you get there. See you all tonight."

Sunstreaker turned around and headed back towards the road.

"See you, Sunstreaker!" Sam called. "Tell Sideswipe and everyone we said hey!"

As Sam and Carly turned and began to approach their new house, eager to see what it looked like inside and then start unpacking so it would feel more like home, Bumblebee received one last comm from Sunstreaker.

_I can see why you like the humans, Bumblebee. They're both pretty cool, for organics. See you tonight._

_Not even the normally self-absorbed Sunstreaker can avoid becoming friends with them,_ Bumblebee thought, pleased. He knew how prickly the older Autobot was when it came to befriending others, so hearing his friends praised by Sunstreaker was both a pleasant surprise and a welcome one. Once Sunstreaker decided that you were his friend, that was that. _Humans really are amazing. I'm proud to call them my family._

Now on the porch with Carly, Sam turned to face Bumblebee. "Hey, Bee, we're gonna go inside and check things out. That okay, or do you want us to wait until you can come in, too?"

"_Go on, go on-I don't mind,"_ Bumblebee urged.

Sam offered his friend a smile and then unlocked the door, opening it and disappearing inside with Carly.

Bumblebee drove up a little closer to the house. Blaster was still recharging on his backseat and would remain that way for at least another hour as it was still his naptime, so the scout had no problems about waiting patiently for Sam and Carly to come back outside, so they could get the little Sparkling out without waking him. It _was_ true that he could Transform so that Blaster ended up in one of his hands once he was in robot mode, but, as Transforming was not a quiet process, doing so would wake the Sparkling up and he did not want that-Blaster was _very_ cranky if he was brought out of recharge too early. Waiting for Sam or Carly to get Blaster was a much better idea as a result. Once Blaster was taken out and put in a place where he could continue to recharge while they unpacked (probably a box of clothes or blankets until they could get the Sparkling's actual berth set up), Bumblebee would help Sam and Carly get the furniture out of the moving van and into the house.

As best as he could while remaining in vehicle mode, he looked around the property once more-the large house, the barn, the open fields, the trees that would allow him and the others to not worry about prying eyes-it was a beautiful, peaceful place, and it was _theirs_.

_This is our new home,_ he thought. _Sam and Carly are right._

_It's perfect._

* * *

><p>Once Sam and Carly had finished looking around the inside of the house and Blaster was transferred to a box of towels and placed out of the way upstairs-they were going to work on unpacking and getting set up on the ground floor first -so the little Sparkling could continue to recharge without being in an area where he could accidently be woken up, the Autobot-sized back door was opened so that Bumblebee could come inside. The young Autobot hesitantly approached the door, pausing for a minute before he finally entered the house.<p>

The interior of the house was somewhat similar to the apartment they had lived in back in DC. There was a large main room that was connected to the kitchen and dining area. The second floor was basically a loft like area that lead into the upper rooms, with the stairs that led up there coming down in the main room. However, there were differences-there was more than one room upstairs, and the house seemed to have both an attic and a basement. Of course, the only floor he would be able to go to or stay on was the first floor, but that was just fine with Bumblebee, as long as he could stay in house and be close to his human family.

Bumblebee continued to look around the interior of the house curiously. They'd only been here for less than half an hour and it already felt like home; as if they had always been living here. Something about the layout of the house just seemed _right_. They belonged here, all of them. It was wonderful. Impressed, Bumblebee chirped quietly to himself.

"Cool, isn't it, Bee?" Sam asked his friend as he reentered the house carrying two boxes stacked on top of each other.

Bumblebee chirped again. Seeing that the human was struggling to keep both of the boxes balanced, the young Autobot placed a steadying finger against them. _"Steady, steady,"_ he quoted.

"Thanks, bud. Could you…?" Sam began, but finishing was not necessary. Bumblebee knew what he was going to ask, and he nodded, taking the top box himself. Without the second box, Sam managed to successfully regain his balance. "Thanks."

"_No problem,"_ Bumblebee shrugged.

Sam sat the box he still held down, and then took the other box from Bumblebee and sat it on top of the first box once again. "Okay, Bee, we're going to start moving in the furniture next. You ready?"

Bumblebee nodded again, following Sam out of the back door towards the moving van.

* * *

><p>With Bumblebee helping move the furniture into the house, unloading the moving van took hardly any time at all. After about an hour, the moving van was empty except for a few last boxes of personal belongings, which were quickly brought inside as well, and the house, even with most of the boxes unopened and furniture in odd places, was definitely starting to look more like people actually lived in it. With the moving van now empty, Sam and Carly began to unpack the boxes and set up the furniture, with Bumblebee, Wheelie, and Brains helping out whenever they could-they wanted to have as much of it done as possible before they left to head out to the base in a little while.<p>

A few hours after they had started, Sam pushed aside an empty box and sat down on the floor. He looked at Carly. "Let's take a break for today. We've got the bed set up in the bedroom upstairs so we have a place to sleep, so I think we can stop for now. And at least things more or less have the appearance of not being so much of a mess. Besides, if we keep unpacking now and don't stop until we're finished we'll all be exhausted tonight, and that won't make the little housewarming party the Autobots are holding for us seem very fun."

Carly set aside the box she had been unpacking. "You're right. I don't want to be falling asleep at a party that's being held for us, either. It's almost evening, anyway, so we should be leaving and heading to the base soon."

Blaster, who had woken from his recharge a couple of hours earlier, had something to contribute to the conversation. He was far too young to really understand the gist of what they were talking about, but the concept of not going to sleep was something he understood, in his own way. "No go bed. Stay up!" He announced as he tried to climb onto Bumblebee's leg. Bumblebee, not wanting the Sparkling to accidently fall off and hurt himself, picked him up and placed him on his leg to save him the effort of climbing.

"No one's going to bed, little guy," Sam told Blaster, smiling. He looked back at Carly. "Maybe we should head out now-before Blaster gets bored and tries to find some new hiding places. I don't think it would be very easy to find him right now with everything still not completely unpacked."

"Yes, we probably should," Carly agreed. She stood up, and Sam followed suit.

"You want to leave now, Bee?" Sam asked when he noticed that the young Autobot was watching him.

Bumblebee nodded, warbling in agreement before he handed Blaster to Sam so that he could exit the house and Transform. Once he was back in Camaro form, he drove around to the front of the house, where he waited for Sam and Carly to come out with Blaster, Wheelie, and Brains. When Sam came out, Bumblebee raised a little on his wheels in interest-Sam was not only carrying Blaster in one arm, but was also carrying along one of his guitar cases in the other hand.

As Sam approached, Bumblebee let out an inquisitive chirp. Sam guessed what it was Bumblebee was trying to ask, and lifted his guitar case slightly.

"Thought I'd bring this and play something for the other Sparklings. I know Blaster loves it, so I was thinking that the others might, too."

_That's actually a pretty good idea,_ Bumblebee thought as he swung his doors open so his friends could get in. _It keeps Blaster happy, and it might keep the Sparklings calm and out of trouble at the party, too, at least._

Sam placed Blaster on Bumblebee's driver's seat, and the little Sparkling immediately scrambled into the back seat, where Wheelie and Brains were already situated. Once Blaster was in, Sam got in himself, and Carly followed on the passenger side. Bumblebee shut his doors once everyone was inside.

"Alright, let's go tell everyone hi," Sam said. Bumblebee could hear the eagerness in his human friend's voice, and he felt it too. It had been entirely too long since he had spent a decent amount of time visiting his fellow Autobots. Not wanting to waste any time in getting to the Autobot base, Bumblebee drove down the driveway and turned onto the road.

They hadn't been on the road terribly long, and were driving by a line of trees shielding a small creek from view, when Blaster suddenly let out a series of surprised clicks as he looked out of one of Bumblebee's windows.

"Star!" the little Sparkling said, pointing at something outside, up in the sky.

Brains looked at what Blaster was pointing at, and shook his head. "That's not a star, kid, that's a ball of fire. Well, technically, that's what _all_ stars are, but that's moving through the sky. Too close for a star, see. That's a meteor, most likely."

"A what?" Sam barely had time to ask before the object in question streaked through the sky above them. It was a large ball of fire-just like Brains had said-but it looked oddly familiar to Sam. He'd seen something, quite a few somethings actually, that looked _exactly_ like that. And even though he had seen them several years ago, he could never forget what they looked like. _'Is it really a…'_

Several pieces were breaking off of the fire ball as it sped out of sight into the line of trees. One of the flaming pieces struck Bumblebee on the hood. He screeched in surprise and pain, and spun off the road, too startled by the sudden impact to maintain his concentration on driving. Luckily, the screams of his passengers were enough to shock him back into focus, and he was able to come to a stop before he crashed into one of the trees. He remained there for a moment, shaking, but quickly snapped his attention inward. If he was that shaken up, he could only imagine how bad everyone else was feeling at the moment.

"I-is everyone a-all r-right?" Bumblebee managed to ask through a burst of static.

"I'm okay," Carly replied, but she sounded just as shaken as he was.

So am I," Wheelie responded from the back seat, followed by a "Me, too" from Brains.

"I'm fine," Sam told his friend, placing a hand on the center of the steering wheel. "Are you okay, Bee?"

"_I'm fine but my pride is bruised,"_ Bumblebee quoted, not entirely truthfully, as his hood was stinging painfully were the flaming whatever-it-was had hit him. He then mentally winced as Blaster began to cry in the backseat.

"_**Aaahhh!"**_ Blaster wailed, his loud, distressed cries filling the inside of Bumblebee's vehicle mode. He was far too young to understand what had just happened, but the sudden change from driving normally to spinning and screeching to a sudden halt, along with Bumblebee screaming, had terrified the little Sparkling.

"_Shhh…shh,"_ Bumblebee desperately played through his radio, trying to soothe the crying Sparkling as best as he could in vehicle mode. It worked, to an extent. Blaster stopped his outright wailing but continued to make sounds similar to tearful whimpering and sniffling like humans did.

"Aw, come here, sweetie," Carly said soothingly, reaching into the backseat and picking the still-whimpering Blaster up. "You're okay. We're all okay." She turned to Sam, eyes wide. "What was that? _Was_ it meteor?"

"I don't think so," Sam replied hesitatingly. "It looked like a…"

"L-like a C-Cybertronian…h-hot c-comet e-entry," Bumblebee finished. He had been thinking exactly the same thing as Sam, and it worried him. Autobots didn't hot comet entry on planets very often-what he and his original teammates had done to first get to Earth had been a rare decision-opting to go with ships instead as it was safer and less damaging to whatever planet they were landing on, especially if the planet had life of any kind. Decepticons, however, didn't care about damaging a planet or its civilians as a consequence of their planetfalls, and they didn't have as ready access to ships as the Autobots had. What was more, Autobots arrived on Earth because they had received the call, and they always contacted Optimus before they landed. Bumblebee knew that if the fact that an Autobot was going to make planetfall that night was common knowledge among the others at base, they would have let him know, as well. This could only lead to one reasonable conclusion.

Whoever this Cybertronian was, he wasn't an Autobot. And if he wasn't an Autobot, and was a Decepticon, they were in danger. He couldn't risk not doing anything, just in case it _was_ a Decepticon. Bumblebee needed to contact base and let them know what was going on. But first…

Bumblebee activated his scanners. He detected the Cybertronian energy signature in the trees, and it wasn't an Autobot signal. The signal was scrambled, but it was still recognizable as a Decepticon one, just like he had been afraid of. Feeling more than a little on edge, Bumblebee opened his comms with Optimus and Ratchet. They would know what to do.

_Optimus? Ratchet?_ He asked frantically, desperate for the help, advice, and reassurances he knew both of the older Autobots would offer.

_We're here, Bumblebee._ Even over the comm, Optimus's words rang with an authority that made Bumblebee feel a great deal safer just by receiving them. _What is it you need? Are you going to be arriving at the base soon?_

_I don't think so,_ Bumblebee replied. _Sir, we were on our way, but we witnessed a hot comet entry. It landed in the woods close to the road. I'm still near where it happened. I scanned and…and it's a Decepticon._

There was no immediate reply. Bumblebee got the distinctive feeling that Optimus and Ratchet were discussing the disturbing news with each other and everyone else. After a few tense moments of silence, Ratchet contacted Bumblebee.

_How strong is the signal, Bumblebee?_

_Very weak and erratic,_ Bumblebee replied, after performing another quick scan to check. _Ratchet, I don't think that whoever it was is in very good condition. Even Decepticons have some method of steering when they hot comet land, but this one didn't seem to be following any set trajectory. The signal's pretty scrambled, too._

_We are on our way,_ Optimus responded. _See if you can get a visual of the Decepticon, but do not engage in battle if you can avoid it. Understand?_

_Yes, sir,_ Bumblebee replied.

_Good. We'll be there soon. Be careful, young one._ The comm broke off.

Bumblebee was a bit nervous about the prospect of confronting a Decepticon again, even a possibly severely injured, weak one. He hadn't seen any action like this in a year, and he was feeling distinctly out-of-practice. But he knew he had to do it-if there was a possibility this Decepticon wasn't as weak as his scanners showed, he needed to confront it before it came into a position where it could hurt his family or anyone else. He popped open his doors with a snappy quote. _"Out, out, everybody out!"_

No one argued. They also sensed the urgency of the situation and scrambled out as fast as they could. Once everyone was clear, Bumblebee quickly shifted back into robot mode. He stretched up, and looked anxiously into the trees. He couldn't see where the Decepticon had landed, but he knew that it was in there somewhere. The young Autobot glanced at his family and at the sight of them-Sam and Carly looking worried, Blaster clinging to Carly and whimpering with his optics shuttered tightly, the normally talkative Wheelie and Brains quiet and concerned-he _knew_ that he needed to go and see what they were dealing with. He didn't want to leave them, but he knew that his family would be safest here. Bumblebee gathered his resolve, then turned and took a step towards the tree line.

"Bee, wait!" Sam called, running forward.

Bumblebee looked over his shoulder at Sam and made a gesture that unmistakably meant _Stay here. _There was no telling what the Decepticon might do and he wanted Sam and the others as far as possible from it.

"Bee…" Sam pleaded.

"I'll be fine," Bumblebee managed to say, giving Sam a thumbs up. _"Stay here-no following. I'll-be back-soon-I promise."_

Seeing Bumblebee's resolve, Sam relented, but it was obvious that he wasn't too thrilled about it. "Be careful," he whispered.

Bumblebee nodded, turning back to the trees. He resumed walking towards them, and soon he was completely in the woods. He looked around. A little ways ahead, he could see the branches of a tree snapped partially off, pointing towards the ground and glowing with embers from the heat of the Cybertronian who had crashed nearby. He rushed towards the damaged tree to examine it more closely. As he got closer, he could see the huge, smoldering gash in the ground where the Decepticon had crashed and surged forward with the remaining momentum from its entry. More broken trees with snapped and charred braches, embers, pieces of still-hot metal, and ash were scattered all along the trail of entry. Anticipating a fight, Bumblebee slid his battle mask into place and followed the trail of destruction. Finally, the woods opened up, and the trail lead to a small clearing.

It was on fire. Not completely, but badly enough.

Flames shot sparks into the sky. More hunks of metal that were still glowing with heat were scattered here, more so than along the trail he had followed to get here. Amid the greatest concentration of the flames, a movement that wasn't caused by the fire caught his optics. Warily, he shifted his right arm into his plasma cannon and approached cautiously, fighting down the renewed nervousness he felt. Once he caught sight of the Decepticon, however, he froze.

Struggling to stand in the middle of the flames was one of the tallest Cybertronians he had ever seen-Autobot or Decepticon alike. It looked like a large bird, but he wasn't surprised by that-some Cybertronians had animalistic forms, whether in robot or alt mode. Bumblebee took a few hesitant steps forward, then stopped again, craning his head up to look at the Decepticon. _Primus, he's so tall-he's taller than Optimus!_ He kept his plasma cannon on it in case it tried anything, but he knew that if it came to a fight, he wouldn't stand a chance. He took another step.

The Decepticon turned its head around and stared right at him. Bumblebee froze, still with his cannon aimed directly at the Decepticon despite the fact that he knew it would be useless to fight this thing. It scrutinized him with its bright red optics, then met his own gaze. Bumblebee blinked. There was something familiar about the way the Decepticon looked at him-something about his optics. He had never met this Decepticon before, but he knew that he had seen the same gaze, or one very similar to it, at one point in time. It was familiar, but more than that…it felt _safe_. Despite the fact that this was a Decepticon, Bumblebee got the distinct feeling that it could be trusted; this Decepticon reminded him of someone he had met and had known. He didn't know why he was reminded of this, or even _who_ it was this Decepticon reminded him of, but he trusted his instincts. As a scout, that was his job.

Bumblebee slid his battle mask up, his nervousness fading, but he did not shift his cannon away yet. He somehow knew that this was safe, but he still had his weapon ready, just in case he was feeling wrong.

Suddenly, the Decepticon tilted its head to one side, optics widening. It took a shaky step forward, rasping a question in Cybertronian, his deep voice identifying him as a mech. **"You…are a…you are an Autobot?"**

Bumblebee nodded hesitantly. Now that he could clearly see the Decepticon, it was obvious that he was very, very old.

The Decepticon took another step, but promptly collapsed. Without knowing why, Bumblebee shifted his cannon away and raced forward, helping support the Decepticon so that he was more or less upright again, completely ignoring the heat from the still-burning fire that singed his armor. The Decepticon looked at him, and Bumblebee could see desperation as well as sadness in his optics.

"**Listen…there is no time to waste. You must…warn Optimus Prime!"**

"**W-warn h-him o-of w-what?"** Bumblebee stammered in Cybertronian, realizing that the Decepticon did not in all likelihood speak or understand English.

"**It is urgent. Please, get him! Tell Optimus that…tell him…**_**He is coming!**_**"**

And before Bumblebee could force out a response asking the Decepticon to elaborate on what he meant, the old Cybertronian froze up, the red light of his optics fading out as he collapsed into stasis lock.


	5. Firestorm the Knower

**A/N**_**:**__ I made a mistake last chapter with Firestorm's dialogue at the end. Aside from saying 'young 'un' he doesn't use contractions when he speaks-he says each word fully. I fixed this on the Deviant Art version of the chapter but not here. I'll go back and fix it…along with all the other errors/grammar issues in the other chapters eventually._

_I apologize for Bumblebee's little "freak out" at the beginning here. But be understanding-he's been on leave from NEST for a year-he hasn't dealt with fighting or anything for a long time, so suddenly being put into a position where he's facing a possible enemy who's obviously injured is overwhelming after going so long without dealing with that sort of thing. Of course he's going to be anxious._

_Oh, and flashbacks, woo! This is the first time in the story that we get actual flashbacks, not just reminiscing. Who's ready to see a young Opti-er, Orion Pax serving as a page in the Hall of Records? Fun times! I have served as a page many times and it can be overwhelming figuring out where to go, especially the first time-my experiences helped out here._

_Also, I don't think Mearing is a jerk; she just comes off that way. She's just trying to do what she thinks is right-she just has a…not very nice way of doing so._

_One more thing-the bit about Jolt comes from my theory that Jolt was an apprentice medic being taught by Ratchet (which comes from a scene in ROTF). Over time, I added onto it until I had Ratchet taking in Jolt when he was very young and not only teaching him how to be a medic, but raising him as his son._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts_

"normal speech"

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Four-Firestorm the Knower**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 9,354**

* * *

><p>BUMBLEBEE'S CONFUSION OVER THE CRYPTIC MESSSAGE THE DECEPTICON had tried to relay before he had fallen into stasis lasted only a few seconds as the realization that the Decepticon needed help overtook everything else that he was thinking and feeling at that moment. And Bumblebee <em>knew<em> that there was currently only one Autobot on Earth who would possibly know what to do.

_RATCHET!_ He commed frantically. Volume wasn't able to be conveyed through the comms, but he knew that the sudden "shout" would catch Ratchet's attention at once.

_Primus, Bumblebee, don't startle me like that! _Ratchet responded immediately. The words were stern, but Bumblebee could sense the underlying concern in them that the digital nature of the communication could not show. _Are you injured? Slag it, Bumblebee, you were told not to fight the Decepticon!_

_I'm not! I didn't!_ Bumblebee sent back. He was struggling to support the stasis-locked old Decepticon, but he was far too large and heavy for an Autobot of Bumblebee's size to support for too long, so he finally had to call it quits, easing him onto the ground, before he continued to report on the recent events to Ratchet. _The Decepticon didn't attack me. He was trying to tell me something that he said Optimus needed to know, but he went into stasis before he could explain what he meant!_

_He fell into stasis?_ Ratchet questioned.

_Yes, just a little bit after I found him,_ Bumblebee sent back. Normally, Bumblebee wouldn't be reacting like this, but it had been so long since he had been in a situation like the one he now found himself in and it was more than a little overwhelming. The young Autobot was very anxious; his instincts told him that this Decepticon meant no harm to anyone, and as a result, he wanted to help him as much as he could. Unfortunately, his medical knowledge didn't extend beyond the very basics of battlefield first aid, so he had no idea where to even begin to help the old Decepticon. _Ratchet, he's very old. He could barely stand when I found him. He just collapsed and now he's in stasis lock and I don't know what to do!_

_Calm down, Bumblebee; I know it's been a while since you've had to deal with anything like this. Try to keep a level head-just relax and remember your Autobot training and what you do know of medical treatment, _Ratchet responded firmly. _ If the Decepticon is truly in stasis lock, he will survive until I can see whatever it is that is causing him to be in that condition-if he does have information it will be in our best interest to treat him so he will be able to talk to us. Optimus and I are almost to your location. Just…keep watch on the Decepticon until we get there. He might be pretending to be in stasis to lure us into a trap._

_I don't think he is,_ Bumblebee sent back. _But I'll be careful._

_See you shortly,_ Ratchet replied, then cut off the comm link.

Feeling slightly calmer-_Ratchet and Optimus are almost here and they'll know what to do_-Bumblebee looked back in the direction he had come from, wondering if he should go and retrieve Sam and everyone else, but the sight of the still-burning entry fire caused him to decide against it. If he didn't do something about it, the entire forest might catch fire, and then his family would really be in trouble. As much as he disliked the idea of leaving them on the edge of the woods beside the road, he knew that they were a lot safer there than they would be near this fire. Bumblebee looked around, trying to find something that he could use to put out the flames, and quickly spotted a way. He moved towards the mound of dirt that had been kicked up by the Decepticon's landing, and set around to throwing what he could onto the flames to smother them out.

* * *

><p>Ratchet drove down the road that lead to where his sensors told him Bumblebee was waiting. Optimus was following him instead of leading the way, which was unusual, but Optimus had told Ratchet to go first so he could begin treating the injured Decepticon as soon as possible. If what Bumblebee told them the Decepticon had said was true, the new arrival had something very important to tell them, and he couldn't do so if he didn't recover enough to come out of his stasis-lock.<p>

"There they are," Ratchet said, relieved, as he drove around a bend in the road and the forms of Sam, Carly, Wheelie, Brains, and Blaster came into view. He scanned over all five of them briefly, and was pleased to notice that none of them seemed injured-a little worried and anxious, maybe, but not hurt. His scanners also told him that Bumblebee was nearby but off in the woods, accompanied by a faint Decepticon signal. Contrary to what Bumblebee had told him earlier, the medic was picking up obvious signs of several small injuries on the young Autobot; fortunately, they seemed to be minor, nothing more than his armor being singed in several places. _From the heat and fire of the Decepticon's entry, no doubt. Heat can be just as damaging to our systems as cold if we are not in the proper mode, and an Earth vehicle is not that proper mode._

Ratchet considered the Decepticon signal for a moment. If he had been in robot mode at that moment, he would have frowned. The Decepticon's signal seemed familiar, but, just as Bumblebee had told them, it was distorted in a way that made it impossible to identify who exactly it was without gaining a visual. However, Ratchet was able to recognize enough of the signal to know that this was a 'con who had fought the Autobots quite a few times-they had memorized the signals of all the Decepticons they faced, so they would be able to know who was who and determine how great the threat was as a result.

"Optimus, do you…?" Ratchet asked hesitatingly as he came to a stop on the side of the road close to their friends, but far enough away that their conversation would not be overheard.

"Yes, I do," Optimus replied, concern evident in his deep voice as he pulled to a stop next to Ratchet. "This is a Decepticon we have encountered before. But I cannot unscramble the signal enough to unmask his identity."

"We will need a visual to identify him," Ratchet said as he shifted from his vehicle form into his robot mode. "As we need to take him into custody, anyway, that will not be too much of a problem."

"Problem? What problem?" Sam asked, running up as Optimus too returned to his robot form; he'd arrived in time to hear the end of the conversation. Carly followed him, still holding Blaster, with Brains and Wheelie following after her.

"The Cybertronian that you saw make a hot comet entry is a Decepticon," Optimus informed the small group, his tone grave.

"It is?" Wheelie asked. "I thought that's what his signal looked like, but it's so scrambled I can't tell if it's someone we know."

"No idea," Brains added.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Sam demanded.

"Because we weren't sure," Wheelie replied defensively. "We know you're prone to overreact and we didn't want to get you worked up in case it was nothing."

"Oh, no. You mean Bee's in the woods with a Decepticon who could just…"Sam shot an anxious glance in the direction Ratchet assumed Bumblebee had gone.

"There's no need for alarm, Sam," Ratchet informed the human. "My scans have let me know that Bumblebee is fine-a little singed, it looks like, but fine. He commed us a short while ago and told us that the Decepticon was in stasis-lock. If that is the case, he can't hurt anyone. In fact, I'd better go and make sure that it _is_ the case." The medic looked towards Optimus for confirmation.

The Prime nodded. "Go. I will stay here until you send Bumblebee back."

Ratchet nodded in return, and then turned and headed into the woods in the direction that his scanners told him would lead to Bumblebee and the injured Decepticon.

It didn't take him long to find the trail left behind from the Deception's entry. Like Bumblebee had done, Ratchet followed it to the clearing where he could make out a large, dark, bulky shape that was in all likelihood the Decepticon, and a smaller silhouette that was pouring something on the last remaining flames cause by the Decepticon's landing. His scanners tagged the smaller figure with an Autobot signature, and a quick adjustment of his optics provided confirmation of the smaller one's identity.

"Bumblebee?" Ratchet called.

Bumblebee looked up from where he was pouring dirt on the last of the flames. He let out a relieved chirp and headed quickly towards the medic, meeting him close to the fallen Decepticon.

Ratchet looked over the young Autobot with a critical optic, noting the singe marks all over his armor, and the one nasty-looking burn in particular on his chest armor. "So…you weren't injured, eh?"

Bumblebee looked at the burns on his armor, noticing for the first time how much they were stinging. He'd been too concerned over the Decepticon and then over putting the fire out before it could spread to be aware of just how many burns he'd gotten from doing so. Now that there was no more work to do, there was nothing to distract him from the pain, and he winced slightly before beginning an apology over his comm.

_Sorry. I was…_

"I know, Bumblebee. It's all right," Ratchet reassured the younger Autobot before turning to look at the stasis-locked old Decepticon, and heading closer towards him. "Now, let's look at our new friend."

Ratchet shone his headlights onto the Decepticon's face, and suddenly, he froze as recognition dawned in his optics.

_What? What is it?_ Bumblebee asked, unnerved by Ratchet's reaction.

"I…I don't believe this…this is…" Ratchet stammered. "How is this _possible?_"

Bumblebee looked at him in surprise. Ratchet never acted like this. What was wrong? _Ratchet, who is…_

Ratchet turned to face the younger Autobot. "Bumblebee, go and get Optimus. Go."

Bumblebee hesitated, feeling anxious all over again at Ratchet's strange behavior. _Ratchet, what…_

"_Now!"_ Ratchet said in a tone that left no room for argument, before turning back to face his patient.

Bumblebee cast one last worried look at the medic before he turned and hurried back the way he had come earlier, when he had first entered the clearing. Once the sound of the young Autobot's footsteps had died away, Ratchet shuttered his optics and vented to calm himself, then began to run scans to try and find out what had sent the Decepticon into stasis.

This wasn't possible. He knew who this was-he had seen him before; he had _fought_ him before.

Despite his great age and the fact that he rarely set foot on the battlefield, this Decepticon had been known as one of the strongest warriors in the ranks of Megaton's soldiers back in the earlier days of the war, but he had vanished shortly before the slaughter at the Youth Sectors. He had never been seen on Cybertron again, and everyone-among the Autobots, at least-had assumed that he had gone offline. He had been old to the point of being ancient even then, and the most common belief was that he had finally succumbed to his old age.

"Everyone thought that you were dead," Ratchet said in an undertone. "And yet, here you are. Now, only one question remains. Why_ are_ you here?"

* * *

><p>Bumblebee stumbled out of the tree line, close to where he had entered earlier when he had been tracking the fallen Decepticon. He kept throwing anxious glances over his shoulder in the direction he had come from, still feeling on edge from Ratchet's unusual behavior.<p>

"Bumblebee?" The familiar voice of Optimus Prime caught his attention, and the younger Autobot turned to face his leader. Optimus was standing next to the side of the road, and Bumblebee could just make out Sam and the rest of his family standing behind him. Relief filled the young scout when he saw that they were still okay.

Optimus looked over Bumblebee, noting with concern the many scorch marks on the younger Autobot's armor, but far more worrying was the anxiety the Prime could see in Bumblebee's optics, and the way the scout kept casting nervous glances over his shoulder. It was more than enough for Optimus to realize immediately that something must be wrong. He took a step forward. "What is it, Bumblebee?"

Bumblebee shrugged, anxiously meeting his leader's gaze. _Ratchet is acting strange…he saw the Decepticon and I think he knows him. He told me to get you._

Optimus began walking towards the trees. "It must be serious. Bumblebee, stay here until we return. Once I am fully aware of the situation and Ratchet lets me know what he has discovered, I will let you know what must be done."

_Yes, sir,_ Bumblebee responded, watching as Optimus disappeared into the trees. After he could no longer see the Prime, he turned his attention back to the others and walked over to them.

"Bee, are you okay?" Sam asked in concern.

Bumblebee warbled, crouching down so that he was closer to the eye-level of his human friends. _"Just fine."_

"But your burns," Sam insisted, gesturing towards the singe marks all over the Autobot and the nasty burn on his chest armor where the metal had hit him when he had been driving earlier. "Don't they hurt?"

"_A bit-but-not bad,"_ Bumblebee pieced together.

"You sure?"

"_Uh-huh,"_ Bumblebee warbled. He looked over his friends; even though they had told him earlier that they were fine, he still felt the need to make sure that they were all really okay-he'd been in a hurry to take care of a potential Decepticon threat and hadn't given them a proper-looking over to make sure that the spinout he had done hadn't injured them. Knowing that made him feel guilty and he knew he wouldn't fell better until he made up for it.

Sam looked a little disheveled and anxious, but was unhurt. Carly still seemed a little shaken, but not as much as she had been earlier, and, like Sam, she wasn't hurt. She was still holding Blaster. The little Sparkling was also unhurt; he was still quietly whimpering, but seemed to be a tiny bit calmer than he had been earlier. Bumblebee gently rubbed the Sparkling's head with a finger to calm him down some more before he turned his attention to Wheelie and Brains. The two former Decepticons were talking to each other, discussing who the new arrival could be and why Optimus had left in such a hurry when Bumblebee had come back. They weren't hurt either, and Bumblebee finally allowed himself to relax. They were all fine.

"Optimus seemed concerned," Carly said then, looking at the trees.

"Yeah, he did, and you seemed upset about something when you came back, Bee," Sam looked at his friend. "What happened? Who was it?"

"_I-don't know."_ Bumblebee shrugged, and then continued in his own voice. "R-Ratchet s-seemed to r-recognize t-the D-Decepticon. H-he w-was a-acting f-funny…a-almost l-like he b-both c-couldn't b-believe i-it and w-was n-nervous a-about who it w-was."

"If both Ratchet and Optimus are on edge, it must be a very dangerous Decepticon…" Sam hesitated, a sudden suspicion and anger dawning on his face. He looked at Bumblebee. "Bee, the 'con isn't the one who burned you, is he?"

Bumblebee shook his head quickly. "N-no. T-the e-entry c-caused a f-fire. I g-got t-the b-burns p-putting it o-out."

Sam visibly relaxed. "Good. Er, I don't mean 'good' that you got burned, but good that the Decepticon didn't attack you. But…for Ratchet to react like you said and for Optimus to just go off like that…this Decepticon must be bad news."

Bumblebee shook his head again. "I d-don't t-think so. I t-think-"his voice capacitor shorted out with a burst of static and he narrowed his optics in frustration. _***kzzt***_

"That hasn't happened in a while." Sam gave Bumblebee a sympathetic glance. "It must be the stress over what just happened."

Bumblebee shrugged. Even though having his voice capacitor short out again was frustrating, it didn't bother him as much as it could have, as he still had the radio to communicate with. The young Autobot didn't have to search for long before he was able to find clips to convey what he had been trying to tell everyone before his capacitor had stopped working. _"He's not dangerous-I trust him."_

"You _trust_ the _Decepticon?_" Carly asked in confusion. In her arms, Blaster wriggled, holding his hands out to Bumblebee with a pleading whine.

Bumblebee nodded, taking Blaster into his arms as Carly handed the little Sparkling to him. Blaster latched onto the young Autobot, whimpering as he looked up at his caretaker. Bumblebee adjusted his hold on the Sparkling slightly and Blaster quieted down, clinging tightly to his caretaker's armor.

"You said don't know _who_ he is?" Sam gave his friend a weird look. When Bumblebee nodded again in confirmation, Sam continued. "But you _trust_ him?"

Bumblebee gave a positive chirp, still nodding.

"Why?"

"_I don't know-just a feeling-I got,"_ Bumblebee shrugged again. He still didn't understand exactly why he trusted the Decepticon. He only knew that he had seen something in the Decepticon's optics that was familiar and safe and told him that the Decepticon would not hurt anyone. With his voice capacitor out at the moment, he was stuck using nothing but radio clips to communicate with the human members of his family, and he searched for a while to find appropriate clips to convey his thoughts. However, nothing fit the explanation he wanted to give, so he remained silent.

"I hope your feeling is right, Bee," Sam responded, casting a nervous glance towards the trees where Ratchet and Optimus had gone. "Or Optimus and Ratchet could be in big trouble."

* * *

><p>The sight that met Optimus's optics when he emerged into the clearing was not what he was expecting. Whatever he had been expecting was certainly not the sight of one of the largest Cybertronians he had ever seen sprawled out on the ground, with Ratchet kneeling nearby, using one of his various medical tools to inject a dose of Energon directly into one of the stasis-locked Decepticon's main fuel lines.<p>

"Ratchet?" The Prime asked.

"Optimus," Ratchet greeted without turning around. There was a tone to his voice that Optimus had not heard in quite a while-Ratchet was unnerved by the identity of this Decepticon. And even though Optimus himself was concerned about the Decepticon's identity, he was also worried about the injuries he had seen on Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee has several burns," Optimus stated, concern evident in his tone.

"I know." Ratchet shook his head. "He was putting out the entry fire so it wouldn't spread. You know how intense the flames from a hot comet entry can be-they can hurt even the most heavily armored Cybertronians if they are not in cometary mode. I checked him over with my scanners when I arrived in this clearing, Optimus. None of the burns are too serious; they need treatment, yes, but they are not life-threatening."

Optimus approached the medic, who had not looked up from his treatment of the far larger Cybertronian during the entire time he had been talking, but before he could ask the questions he needed to be answered, Ratchet spoke up again, starting to report on the Decepticon's condition.

"He's suffering from severe Energon deprivation; that's why he's fallen into stasis-lock. I gave him a small infusion to get him stable, but I'll need to get him onto the base in order to properly treat him."

Ratchet finally fell quiet, and Optimus took the chance to address him, stepping forward. "Bumblebee told me that you were on edge."

Ratchet vented, finally pulling away from his patient. "And with good reason. Look at him, Optimus. Look at his face. Recognize him?"

The medic stepped aside so that Optimus could get a good look at the Decepticon's face. Optimus looked over the older Cybertronian's face, recognition and shock dawning in his optics. He raised his head and met Ratchet's gaze.

"How is this possible? He was said to have died long ago, on Cybertron."

"I know. And yet, here he is. Alive, more or less. But the most important question is _why_ is he _here_?"

Optimus looked back at the Decepticon. Yes, he was believed to have died on Cybertron, shortly before the attack on the Youth Sectors had taken place. None of the Autobots, himself included, had doubted that he had died. The only problem was that his body had never been found, but everyone had assumed that the Decepticons had either jettisoned it off-planet, salvaged it for parts, or had simply left it somewhere and the wandering swarms of Scraplets had disposed of it, leaving nothing behind.

Speculation aside, the fact remained that he had vanished, and everyone believed him to be dead, even though the question of what had happened to his body had never been answered. But now, the answer was obvious.

His body had never been found because he had never _died_ in the first place.

Ratchet gave Optimus a thoughtful look. "You knew him before the war, right?" When Optimus nodded, Ratchet continued. "Well, Bumblebee said that shortly before he fell into stasis-lock, he was asking to see you, and that there was something you needed to know, remember?"

"Yes. It would not surprise me if he did have some bit of knowledge for us that we do not have," Optimus said thoughtfully. "His pre-war title back on Cybertron was 'The Knower', after all."

"I remember," Ratchet said tersely, returning his attention back to his patient. "However, I never encountered him before the war started; I only learned of his pre-war history by stories of his reputation." He glanced at Optimus again. "They were enough to make me wonder why he would ally himself with Megatron. But you have a better knowledge of what he did before the war started. Do you remember anything that might show why, even for a Decepticon as odd as he is, he would run himself to the point of stasis lock just to pass on information to you?"

"I might." Just as Ratchet had pointed out, Optimus had encountered the old Decepticon before the war had even started. Optimus narrowed his optics as he thought back to the day when he first met the old Decepticon, back when he was still a Youngling, back before he had been Prime and was just known as Orion Pax. If there were any clues as to the reason he had traveled this far-to what point and why-they were undoubtedly in that memory.

* * *

><p><em>The size of the Hall of Records was a bit overwhelming to Orion Pax. It was his first day there, and already he had managed to get himself hopelessly lost in the building's maze of corridors and hallways.<em>

'_If Megatron finds out about this I'll never hear the end of it,' Orion thought glumly. 'What's the matter, Orion? Can't find your way around the Hall of Records? It's so easy a Sparkling could do it!' Orion cut off his thoughts of what his brother would say as he found himself in front of a large door. It was shut, and there was an old, faded sign on the door bearing a handful of Cybertronian Glyphs, spelling out the words "Quite Please-Important Research and Filing Occurring Inside"._

_He didn't want to disturb whoever was in the room, but he was lost and needed directions, so with only the slightest bit of hesitation, he reached up and opened the door. _

_The room was large, and there were shelves upon shelves of datapads and other types of records. Off in one corner, there was a large desk that had even more datapads scattered across its surface. Seated at the desk was the biggest Cybertronian he had ever seen. The Cybertronian had red, orange, and gold armor and appeared to be deeply absorbed in the reading of a datapad. He was clearly very old._

_Orion stood uncomfortably in the doorway for a long time. He wanted to ask for directions to where he needed to go, but he didn't want to interrupt the Cybertronian's reading, and besides, he hadn't even seemed to notice Orion standing there._

_He was about to leave the room and find someone else to ask for directions when the old Cybertronian cleared his voice capacitor, and spoke._

"_May I help you?"_

"_Uh," Orion stammered. "I'm lost. I…I'm supposed to start working here today, but I took a wrong turn in a hallway and now I can't find where I'm supposed to go."_

"_Hmm." The older Cybertronian sounded thoughtful. He looked up from his datapad. "You are the new page for Alpha Trion, correct?"_

_Orion nodded, wondering how he knew. "Yes."_

"_Well, I have something that needs to be given to him, at any rate. Now, listen. From this room, you go down the hall to the right. Go left at the end of the hall, down the stairs, and the room Alpha Trion does his research in will be on your right." He looked through the datapads scattered on his desk, grumbling to himself. "One of these days, I will get this mess completely organized."_

_Pulling out a couple of the datapads, he handed them to Orion. "Here, young 'un. Take these to Alpha Trion for me."_

_Orion took the datapads, and looked around the room once more. He couldn't suppress a question before he went. "What are all these datapads about, sir?"_

"_History, what else?" The old one shrugged. "Of course, it is not normal history. It is history from ancient times, and it is very important. I need to get it organized and, in some cases, translated, so that it can be read by all and understood, so that the mistakes of the past do not happen again."_

_Orion frowned. "I thought our recorded history of the ancient times was only kept in the All-Spark, sir."_

"_Most of it is. However, a long time ago, records were kept in addition to what the All-Spark had, and some of the records of the All-Spark have been transcribed into separate records. Most of those records are lost, though. I have a few copies, and one of my duties is to try to find the missing ones." He gestured to the some of the datapads on the desk. "These here are the ones I am currently sorting through."_

"_When I have free time, can I read some of it?" Orion asked eagerly. He loved history, which was something Megatron was always teasing him about. He loved the old stories about the Primes, but Megatron simply scoffed and said they were nothing more than that-just stories. _

_The old one laughed. "Maybe someday, young 'un. Now, go on and report to Alpha Trion, or he will send someone out looking for you."_

_Orion headed to the door, but paused again and turned back. "My name is Orion Pax. What's your name, sir?"_

_The old Cybertronian smiled at him. "It is very nice to meet you, Orion. My name is Firestorm."_

* * *

><p>"History," Optimus said with conviction. "Before the war, he was in charge of the oldest records of the planet's history in the Hall of Records. Whatever his message is, it must have something to do with the very ancient history of Cybertron. Does he have any datapads with him?"<p>

After a brief scan, Ratchet looked up and nodded. "He has a side compartment next to his Spark chamber. He is keeping them in there."

"He brought those datapads with him for a reason," Optimus replied. "I have no doubts about that."

"Hard to believe that he traveled all this way, pushing himself to the point of nearly offlining, just to deliver some old datapads to you," Ratchet muttered in disbelief. "It's not very Decepticon-like…not in the slightest."

"He never _was_ very Decepticon-like," Optimus pointed out. This much was true; even though Firestorm had chosen the side of the Decepticons during the war, he had always been quite lenient with the Autobots and had never hurt them if he could avoid it; in fact, he had _never_ been known to kill another. Many even questioned why he even chose to be a Decepticon in the first place when his ideals seemed to be more akin to the Autobots'. It was one of the most puzzling things that Optimus and the others had seen in the war, and they had never found an explanation for it.

"That may be true," Ratchet replied, frowning at the stasis-locked Firestorm. "But that still does not tell us how old datapads would be so important that he would do this to himself to bring them to you."

"When I first met him, he told me that the reason he took charge of the oldest records on Cybertron was because the history was very important, and that everyone needed to know of it so the mistakes of the past would never be made again." Optimus looked thoughtful. "Whatever is contained in those datapads must be very important, though I do not know what that may be. There may also be something else he was to give us." He paused. "How is he?"

"Stable, for now." Ratchet ran one last scan over his patient, and then faced Optimus once again. "He won't remain so indefinitely, however. I need to get him back to the base so I can hook him up to an Energon feed-it's the only way to get him to completely recover. We'll have to carry him to the side of the road so we can transport him back to base. If we follow his entry trail, we will have a clear path to the roadside and not have to worry about knocking any more trees down." He returned his gaze briefly to Firestorm. "We have to move quickly-the Energon infusion I gave him won't last for long."

Optimus nodded. "Let us hurry, then."

Bumblebee had struggled to lift the large Decepticon, and had not been able to even partially do so, but that was understandable, as he was not all that big, and even though Bumblebee was strong for _his_ size he lifting a Decepticon of _Firestorm's _size was beyond his abilities. Fortunately, Ratchet and Optimus were large and strong enough to lift Firestorm's weight easily between the two of them. As they walked, following the trail Firestorm had made as he had crashed into the clearing, Optimus commed Bumblebee.

_Bumblebee?_

The younger Autobot responded immediately. _Yes, sir?_

_We are on our way back with the Decepticon now. We are going to take him back to the base so that Ratchet can treat him properly. _

_Is he going to be alright?_ Bumblebee asked.

_As long as Ratchet can get his Energon levels back up, he will be. And we all know that Ratchet will be able to do so._ Optimus paused. _And I know that Ratchet will want to take care of your injuries, as well._

_They're not bad,_ Bumblebee protested.

_Ratchet will be the judge of that,_ Optimus responded firmly.

In a short while, the two older Autobots emerged from the tree line and approached the flatbed trailer that Optimus had pulled along in the knowledge that they would need to transport an injured Cybertronian. Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains were still standing where they had been before the Prime had left to go assist Ratchet; now, however, Bumblebee was crouched next to them, holding Blaster, who was trying to hide in the young Autobot's arms at the sight of the two much larger Autobots carrying another, even larger Cybertronian between them.

"_Need-any help?"_ Bumblebee asked via his radio, standing up. Blaster gave a startled sounding squeak at the movement, tightening his hold on his caretaker's armor.

"Thank you for the offer, Bumblebee, but it looks to me as if you already have your hands full," Optimus replied, nodding in Blaster's direction with a slight chuckle. "Ratchet and I have things handled."

As Optimus helped Ratchet carefully place Firestorm on the trailer, he heard gasps of astonishment from Sam and Carly, as well as hushed whispers from Wheelie and Brains.

"He's _gigantic_," Carly whispered.

"Uh, he's unconscious, right?" Sam asked, eyeing the motionless Firestorm warily. "He's not going to wake up and attack us, is he?"

"He is in stasis-lock and until I can get his Energon levels back up to normal, he will remain that way," Ratchet responded briskly as he secured Firestorm to the trailer. "He will not be waking up and attacking anyone."

"Look at his Decepticon insignia," Wheelie said suddenly, pointing. "Thing's a scratched-up mess."

The humans did not have very good night vision, but once they made the proper adjustments to their optics, the Autobots _did_, and they could clearly see what Wheelie was talking about as they looked to where he was pointing. Ratchet looked at the scratched insignia with narrowed optics, Optimus looked thoughtful, and Bumblebee looked mildly confused.

"Sorry, but why does it matter whether or not his insignia is scratched up?" Carly asked.

"One almost near constant in the war was the pride each Cybertronian carried over which side they chose," Optimus explained. "Whether we are in our normal forms or in our alternate modes, we wear our faction insignias proudly-they are symbols for what we believe in. As such, every Autobot, and, on the other side, every Decepticon, takes great care of their faction insignia. It is very unusual, almost unheard of, for any Cybertronian to allow their insignia to become damaged like this."

Ratchet was examining the scratches on and around the Deception insignia, frowning as he did so. "It almost looks like he tried to claw it off of himself."

"So…does that mean he's ashamed of being a Decepticon?" Sam asked hesitatingly. "I mean, why else would he try to rip off his symbol?"

"You could be right, Sam," Optimus responded, with a slight nod in the human's direction. It was as good a theory as any. If Firestorm _had_ tried to take off his insignia, it could be a sign that he wanted to permanently renounce himself of the Decepticon cause. But, even still, they should be careful. Optimus vented wearily. They'd learned the previous year that sometimes things that seemed too good to be true could actually _be_ too good to be true.

Yes, they'd learned that the hard way.

"We need to leave. The sooner we get him back to base, the better chance he has of recovering." Ratchet finished covering Firestorm with a tarp to shield him from prying eyes, and then turned to Bumblebee. Even though he knew the extent of the scout's injuries, he still needed to be sure of one thing. "Can you Transform?"

Bumblebee nodded, replying via his comm as he returned a once-again whimpering Blaster to Carly. _Yes, I think so. My armor's all that's damaged._

"Good. Optimus, are you ready?"

"Yes," Optimus responded, initiating his Transformation sequence and backing up so that he could connect to and pull the trailer that Firestorm now rested on.

Ratchet followed suit, Transforming into his vehicle mode, and Bumblebee did so as well, swinging his doors open once he was in Camaro mode so that his family could get in. Ratchet flashed his headlights at Bumblebee. "Just follow us to the base, Bumblebee. It's not all that far from here."

"_Okay,"_ Bumblebee replied, having no trouble in pulling that particular word from the radio.

"Ratchet, you take the lead. Bumblebee, you follow close behind me," Optimus commanded. "I will comm ahead and alert Prowl and Sideswipe that we have an…_unusual _guest on the way. We will need to make the necessary preparations so that our human allies will not feel on edge by the presence of a Decepticon on base."

Bumblebee and Ratchet took their positions, and Optimus gave one more order.

"Roll Out!"

The small convoy pulled back onto the road and moved in the direction of the Air Force base, driving slow enough as to not be reckless and fast enough to get to the base in time to help the old Decepticon before the Energon infusion he had been given wore out, and his Spark faded.

And, if Optimus's hunch about the importance of the datapads Firestorm carried, the likelihood of an additional message, and his possible renouncing of his Decepticon ties was correct, that was something that they could not afford to let happen.

* * *

><p>Both Sideswipe and Prowl met them in vehicle mode at the gates leading into the base. Prowl turned around and led the way to the main hangar, and Sideswipe slipped into formation behind Bumblebee, flashing his headlights at his younger friend once in greeting, and Bumblebee responded in kind. The Autobot scout could basically feel the anxiety and caution radiating off of the older Autobots, and it was very unnerving, to say the least. The tense atmosphere was even affecting his passengers-human <em>and<em> Autobot. Sam and Carly were silent; Wheelie and Brains were still talking in hushed undertones, and Blaster was also being quiet, his whimpers finally stopping, though he was fidgeting a lot. The excitement they had been feeling about visiting everyone at the Autobot base had pretty much faded, replaced by uneasiness.

Bumblebee couldn't remember a time before when they had been on edge like this outside of an actual battle or a possible battle situation. Bumblebee also didn't understand why Optimus and Ratchet were being quiet about who the Decepticon was. It was obvious that they both knew him. Were they waiting until they were all safely inside the base before letting everyone know what was going on, and who he was? If so, why? Bumblebee was really confused, but he trusted Optimus and Ratchet, so he was willing to not push for answers, even though he really wanted them.

"Director Mearing is not happy about this at all," Prowl informed them as they prepared to enter the hangar that housed the main hub for the Autobots, and led to Ratchet's makeshift medbay. "I'm letting you know, so you have a fair warning and can brace yourselves."

"I suspected as much," Optimus replied. "I will deal with her; hopefully, I can make her understand how necessary this is."

"Better you than any of us, sir," Sideswipe added. "She's really upset-she's been giving Colonel Lennox an-what is it the humans say-an earful, for the last thirty minutes."

When they pulled into the hangar, Bumblebee could see exactly what Sideswipe was talking about. Director Mearing was standing in front of Will Lennox, apparently deep in a heated argument with him as she waved one arm in the direction of the entrance the Autobots used to enter and exit the hangar. She looked angry, but Will merely looked annoyed. He was holding his ground in the argument very well, but Autobot help would obviously be needed to end it.

Optimus initiated his Transform sequence, detaching from the trailer containing the stasis-locked old Decepticon. Taking the cue from their leader, Ratchet, Prowl, Sideswipe, and, after letting his family out, Bumblebee, all Transformed back into their robot modes as well, coming up to stand next to the Prime-except for Ratchet, who returned his attention to the Decepticon on the trailer, scanning him to see if he was still stable. The noise from the multiple Transformations caught the attention of both Mearing and Will, and they both turned at the same time to face the Autobots.

Will's gaze fell onto the Decepticon. Eyes widening, he opened his mouth to say something, but before the words got out, Mearing stepped forward to confront Optimus Prime.

"I don't know what you think you're doing, bringing a _Decepticon_ to the base," Mearing said hotly as she gestured towards the trailer, glaring up at Optimus.

"He is injured and needs help," Optimus replied evenly. "It is not the Autobot way to turn someone in need of assistance away, even if they are a Decepticon."

"Injured or not, and whether he needs help or not, he's still a Decepticon. When he wakes up, he could attack."

"He has not attacked anyone yet, and I have no reason to believe that he will while he stays here."

"Oh, really? Then what about _him?_" She gestured towards Bumblebee, who blinked in surprise. "Do you mean to tell me that this Decepticon is not responsible for what are obviously _injuries_ all over his armor?"

Bumblebee shook his head, holding up his hands in denial, trying to get the message across that he had not been attacked. He could tell that Mearing understood the message, but could see in her expression that she didn't believe him. He looked at Optimus for help.

"Bumblebee," Optimus responded, looking briefly back at the young scout, "Was not attacked by this Decepticon. He received those burns putting out a fire that would have raged out of control if he had not acted. While it is true that the fire was caused by the arrival of this Decepticon, it was not intentional or intended to be aggressive. He did not attack Bumblebee when he had the chance; if he had wanted to cause harm, he would have done so upon landing. He did not, so I believe he has other intentions beyond wanting to fight."

Mearing was not backing down. "Well, how do you know that for sure? I don't think _your_ belief that he won't do anything is enough. After what happened the last time-"

"We have learned from our mistakes," Optimus cut her off. Nearby, Bumblebee flinched at the tone of voice Optimus was using. Anger, regret, sadness- all of those emotions were present in the Prime's voice, and judging from the look on Mearing's face, she knew from Optimus's response that she had crossed the line. Optimus paused for a very brief moment to calm himself, and then continued, still with the tiniest bit of those emotions present in his voice. "_I_ have learned from _my_ mistakes. The name of this Decepticon is Firestorm, and, though I have reason to believe he will not harm anyone, he will not be left unattended at any time during his stay on base. We will have a guard present with him at all times. If, and _only_ if, he can prove to us truthfully that he means us no harm, will we relent our caution, I assure you." He gave Mearing a hard look. "Is _that_ enough?"

For once, Mearing actually backed down. Her response was subdued. "Yes, it's enough. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

Optimus nodded curtly, but did not say anything else to her. Instead, he turned to face Ratchet. "Is he still stable?"

"Yes, but he won't be for long," Ratchet replied as he looked over the readouts from his latest set of scans. "I need to get him to the medbay now."

"Can you get him there on your own?" Optimus asked, gesturing towards the trailer.

"On my own, no. With a little help, yes." Ratchet looked at Optimus. "He needs a guard, anyway."

"Sideswipe, please accompany Ratchet to the medbay," Optimus ordered.

Sideswipe nodded, and moved to help Ratchet push the trailer towards the medbay. They had barely started moving when Ratchet turned back around and looked at Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, medbay, now. Those burns of yours also need treatment."

The young Autobot hesitated, looking down at his human family. Sam shrugged up at him.

"You better go, Bee; you know that Ratchet is scary when he gets mad. Plus, you'll feel better after he takes care of your burns."

_I can't argue with that_, Bumblebee thought, nodding in agreement. He was noticing the painful stinging of his burns more and more as time went by. He moved to follow Ratchet, but was halted by a weight attaching to his right leg. He looked down to see that Blaster had somehow managed to wriggle out of Carly's arms, onto the floor, and had firmly attached himself to his caretaker's leg. The little Sparkling was whimpering pitifully again, and Bumblebee thought he knew why-the evening so far had been stressful for him and the others, but Blaster was extremely young and couldn't handle stress as well. Not to mention the fact that Blaster was not used to being around any other Autobots besides Bumblebee, Wheelie, Brains, and very occasionally Optimus and Ratchet; seeing so many others was making Blaster nervous, as he didn't know them very well. Bumblebee knew the little Sparkling was feeling upset and overwhelmed by everything, and was turning to him for comfort.

Bumblebee knelt down and picked Blaster up, detaching him from his leg as gently as he could. He wished that he could stay and comfort the little Sparkling, but knew that he couldn't; Ratchet would get upset and he couldn't take Blaster with him-the medbay wasn't a good place for a Sparkling like Blaster who tried to find obscure hiding places everywhere; he might get into something dangerous on accident. Bumblebee warbled soothingly to Blaster as he handed him to Sam. Blaster cried out in protest, trying vainly to hold onto his caretaker. He liked Sam and Carly, but Bumblebee was always the one he turned to when he was really scared or upset (it was a Sparkling's instinct to turn to the Cybertronian mainly raising them, but of course Blaster was too young to know this), and as Bumblebee always gave him comfort in those situations, Blaster couldn't understand why his caretaker was leaving him instead of soothing him like he normally did.

"No go, Bee!"

The young Autobot rubbed Blaster's head gently with one finger, finding a snippet from the radio to reassure the Sparkling, though he didn't know if Blaster would fully understand it. _"I'll-be-back soon."_ Blaster quieted down a little, but still made a sniffling sound every now and then. Bumblebee looked worriedly at Sam.

"Don't worry, Bee," Sam assured his friend. He gave an amused smile. "Blaster will be just fine with his Uncle Sam and Aunt Carly."

"We'll take him to the other Sparklings," Carly added. "I'm sure having some friends to play with will keep him from being too upset."

Bumblebee chirped gratefully at them, gave Blaster's head one more affectionate rub, and then stood up and followed Ratchet and Sideswipe to the medbay, catching up and helping to push the trailer alongside his friends.

* * *

><p>Ratchet worked quickly and efficiently to get Firestorm hooked up to the Energon feed. Sideswipe was fulfilling his assignment as guard by standing watch at the interior entrance to the medbay. Bumblebee had watched Ratchet treat the old Decepticon for a minute, then he stepped forward and asked over his comm if there was anything he could do to help. The medic was grateful for the younger Autobot's assistance, but having Bumblebee help him reminded him of Jolt, how the apprentice medic he had considered his son had always helped him out in the medbay, and that caused his Spark to twist painfully.<p>

Bumblebee must have picked up on his thoughts, because the younger Autobot looked up at him with sadness in his optics as well, and Ratchet remembered that Jolt and Bumblebee had been good friends, too. Working in the medbay must also be bringing back memories for Bumblebee.

_I'm sorry,_ Bumblebee told him.

"You don't have to apologize, Bumblebee," Ratchet vented. "It would've been the same anyway, whether you were helping me or not."

_I know you still miss him._

"Yes." Ratchet looked at Bumblebee. He had a hunch that missing Jolt wasn't the only reason why Bumblebee seemed upset. "Just like you still miss Ironhide."

Bumblebee lowered his head slightly. _Yeah, exactly like that. I guess it was in the back of my processor all day, but it wasn't until I got here and saw the others that it really hit me that I can never just pop into the base and visit Ironhide again. I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. It's…it's been a year._

"There are some things you never get used to, Bumblebee." Ratchet made another adjustment to the Energon feed. He looked in the direction of the main hangar, where he knew Beachcomber and First Aid were. "But it's okay to move on."

_Yeah, it is,_ Bumblebee replied, thinking of Blaster. He hoped that he would do as good of a job raising Blaster as Ironhide had done raising him.

Ratchet met Bumblebee's optics. He knew exactly what the younger mech was thinking. "You will, Bumblebee. You will."

The younger Autobot watched as Ratchet ran one more scan, made one last adjustment to the Energon feed, and stepped back, venting in relief.

"There, far more stable than he was on the Energon infusion alone. His levels are climbing and he should be fully recovered in a few days." That said, the medic turned his attention fully to Bumblebee. "All right, then, Youngling, it's your turn."

Bumblebee sat on one of the empty berths as Ratchet readied the Energon solution that would both sooth the burns and cause Bumblebee's own repair systems to heal the damage to his armor faster. Once it was ready, he turned and began to spray the solution onto the minor burns. He frowned, his optics straying to the larger, more severe burn on Bumblebee's chest armor. The paint on and around that particular burn was singed almost completely off, and the metal beneath looked slightly buckled and warped. In short, it looked awful and doubtlessly felt so.

"How on Earth did you get that one, Bumblebee? It looks too serious to simply be caused from putting out an entry fire."

Bumblebee ducked his head slightly in embarrassment. _One of the pieces that broke off during his entry slammed into me when I was in vehicle mode. It hurt really bad and…and I had a spinout because of it. I pulled out before I crashed, though,_ He added quickly when he saw Ratchet's frown deepen.

"I'll need a stronger solution for that one, then. And I see you've managed to short out your voice capacitor _again_. I told you not to use it until it heals properly, which it _won't_ if you keep talking with it before it fully heals," Ratchet said in admonishment, finishing up the treatment of the minor burns and heading over to the supply cabinet to get the more concentrated solution for the more serious burn, as well as a small plasma laser tool to treat the damaged voice capacitor. "Now, I'm going to treat it once I'm done taking care of your burns, and _this_ time you'd better not abuse it before it heals."

_Ratchet?_ Bumblebee asked hesitatingly, wary of irritating the medic further.

"Yes?" Ratchet turned to see the Youngling giving Firestorm a curious, worried glance. When Bumblebee turned back to face him, the medic could see that Bumblebee was barely able to hold his curiosity about the old Decepticon in, and was now going to ask him as many questions as he could.

_Optimus said his name was Firestorm, but what's his story? How do you and Optimus know him? _

Ratchet shook his head. "I'm not the one to tell you, Bumblebee. Ask Optimus; he's the one who knew Firestorm long before the factions even existed properly. But…after that conversation with Director Mearing, I doubt he'll really want to divulge too much information right now."

_Oh, okay._ Bumblebee looked disappointed.

"You can ask him anyway, Bumblebee," Ratchet continued as he began to treat the more severe burn. "He might tell you something, at least, if not the whole story."

* * *

><p>Optimus looked up from his conversation with Will-about the precautions they would have to take as long as Firestorm's motives were not clear-when he saw Bumblebee walking into the main part of the hangar as he returned from the medbay. There were shiny patches all over his armor-the places where his burns were-and the young Autobot kept rubbing his throat and making coughing noises.<p>

_Ah,_ Optimus thought. _Ratchet must have worked on his voice capacitor, as well._ The Prime was relieved to see that Bumblebee's injuries had all been successfully treated and that the young scout seemed to be no worse for the wear otherwise. Bumblebee looked over and saw Optimus watching him, and, after a moment's hesitation, he came over to stand in front of the Prime. Will excused himself and headed over to where Sam and Carly-Blaster still being held by Sam-were keeping an eye on the playing Sparklings.

"I already apologized to Sam, Carly, Blaster, Wheelie, and Brains for this not being the celebration that we intended to welcome you to your new home," Optimus told Bumblebee, looking at the younger Autobot, regret at the change of plans that had been forced to occur clearly showing in his optics.

_It's okay._ Bumblebee fidgeted slightly under the Prime's apologetic gaze, and then looked up. _Sir…I…I'm sorry for panicking earlier, when I found Firestorm…before you got there. I know I shouldn't have._

"There is nothing to apologize for, Bumblebee," Optimus told the younger Autobot firmly but gently. "You have not been in situation like this one for a year. Your reaction was perfectly understandable and there was nothing wrong with it. You were able to calm down and carry out your tasks in the end, and that is all that matters."

Bumblebee hesitated a bit before asking the question he had asked Ratchet earlier. _How do you know Firestorm, sir?_

Optimus vented wearily. "I met him when I was a Youngling myself. Before the war started, he worked in the Hall of Records, and was called Firestorm the Knower. He was in charge of recording and keeping track of the most ancient historical documents on Cybertron. Firestorm was very passionate about history then. He told me, when I first met him, that history is extremely important and that everyone must learn from it."

_You think that what he needs to tell you is related to the history he was in charge of?_ Bumblebee looked curiously back in the direction of the medbay.

"I have no doubt about it."

Bumblebee looked back up at Optimus. _Sir, I believe what you said about him not being a threat to anyone. I got the same feeling from him when I first saw him._

"Did you?"

Bumblebee nodded.

After a moment's pause, Optimus spoke up again. "I know that you are still not on active duty in NEST, Bumblebee. However, if you want to help out around the base while Firestorm is here, especially since Sam will be working here now, you are more than welcome to."

_Really?_ Bumblebee looked up eagerly. _That'd be great! And Blaster will be able to come here too so he can play with the others?_

"Of course."

_I'll do it, sir,_ Bumblebee replied, his optics bright with excitement. _I'll help out as much as I can._

Optimus chuckled slightly at the younger Autobot's enthusiasm. They'd all missed having Bumblebee around base, missed his cheerful attitude and how willing he was to help everyone, and now, he would be joining them there again, not matter for how short a time. With the uncertainty Firestorm's arrival had brought, they would need every bit of cheerfulness they could get. He gave Bumblebee a gentle, affectionate clap on the shoulder as he headed towards the medbay to check up on Ratchet and their Decepticon guest. "It is good to see you again, Bumblebee."

_It's good to be back, sir,_ Bumblebee replied, the smile he could not show with his faceplates shining in his optics instead.


	6. The Truth of a Myth

**A/N**_**:**__ Sorry for the delay; I had some other things that required my attention, but I finished with them, so now I can focus on this story again._

_I had the story for this chapter planned out for a long time. And then, episode 24 of Transformers: Prime airs and I find that the story I had planned is told in that episode almost WORD FOR WORD. Wow, am I really that good at predicting things? I mean, it's happened before, but still, it's spooky! So I'm going to try to reword my version of the story. If it comes out like the Prime version still, oh, well. I tried, and it all ends up the same basically anyway, so why change it too much of it works?_

_Bumblebee speaks more clearly in his actual voice in this chapter than he will in the entire story and the only reason he is able to do so is because he just had Ratchet work on his voice capacitor, so don't get used to him speaking without stuttering._

_Also, the Autobots "get" a new ship. Yay! This will come into play much later in the story, but I threw the name in this chapter so them having another ship to replace the Xantium doesn't come out of nowhere._

_And, before you ask, I didn't forget about Epps. He's around; you'll be seeing him later. Just not at the moment._

_In this chapter, we deal with some fluff, and the pieces of the puzzle finally begin to come together._

_P.S. If you want to know what Firestorm's voice sounds like, try to find a video of Hugo Weaving's performance as Grimble in the movie Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. That's what I imagine Firestorm sounding like._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Five-The Truth of a Myth**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 11,843**

* * *

><p>"NOW, I WANT YOU TO THINK BACK CAREFULLY, BUMBLEBEE, and tell us <em>exactly<em> what Firestorm said to you right before he fell into stasis-lock."

An hour had passed since Optimus and Ratchet had returned to the base with Bumblebee and the others, including the stasis-locked Firestorm, and now everything had more or less calmed down from the "excitement" over bringing an injured Decepticon on base. After finally getting a good look at Firestorm's condition, Ratchet knew that Optimus had to be right-datapads aside, there had to be something more to the situation than simply Firestorm wanting to see Optimus. Bumblebee had, after all, the medic noted, been really stressed out by the whole thing and had only briefly mentioned what it was that the Decepticon had wanted to see the Prime, and had been really anxious to do so. Since things had quieted down, it was time to learn _exactly_ what had happened before Ratchet and Optimus had arrived at the scene of Firestorm's landing.

Mirage, Prowl, Red Alert, and Computron had joined them in a room off the main hangar. Silverbolt, Wheelie, and Brains had stayed in the main hangar to watch the Sparklings, and Sunstreaker was in the medbay, helping his brother by serving guard duty as well. The Wreckers-Topspin, Leadfoot, and Roadbuster-were not present; currently they were based back in Florida, where they kept watch over and performed routine maintenance on the _Axalon_, the Autobot ship that Red Alert, Sunstreaker, and Silverbolt had arrived in. The Autobots present would fill in the others on base and send a transmission over what was discussed to the Wreckers after the hurriedly-called meeting was over. Will Lennox and Director Mearing were there, as well as a few other members of NEST, and so were Sam and Carly. The night's events could possibly effect everyone, and Optimus knew the humans needed to be included in finding out the truth-or as much of the truth as they could find out before Firestorm recovered enough to come out of stasis-lock and actually _speak_ with them.

At Optimus's request, Bumblebee hesitated. He _had_ recorded what the old Decepticon told him-as a scout he automatically did so when in a situation where information might possibly need to be gathered-but Firestorm had been speaking in _Cybertronian_. If he played the recording, Optimus and the other Autobots present would understand what had been said, but the humans would not. And, if he repeated Firestorm's words over the comlink, again, the humans would not get the message. That left only one option-actually speaking with his own voice-and he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea, especially after the scolding Ratchet had given him about shorting out his voice capacitor _again_. He gave Ratchet a nervous glance, unsure of what to do.

The medic vented wearily and waved his hand. "Go on ahead, Bumblebee. Just don't strain your voice too much; take it slow."

Bumblebee nodded. He had the recording to turn to if he forgot any of Firestorm's message, but he thought he could remember everything without listening to it again.

"F-first, he asked me if I was an Autobot." Bumblebee shuttered his optics in concentration, saying each word slowly so that he wouldn't stutter nearly as much. He was relieved to find that he could speak clearly-for now. His voice was hoarse and shaky, but grew stronger as he spoke. "I nodded, and then he said…he said 'There is no time to waste. You must warn Optimus Prime.' And I said, 'Warn him of what?', and he told me, 'It is urgent. Please, you must get him. Tell Optimus that…tell him…he is coming.' After that, he fell into stasis." The young Autobot unshuttered his optics and looked at Optimus. "T-that's all he told me, sir." Bumblebee broke off into a few coughing noises as his voice capacitor protested its use, prompting a look of sympathy from Sam and a pointed look from Ratchet that clearly warned the young Autobot to not speak again.

The Prime inclined his head towards the young scout. "Thank you, Bumblebee. You did well. While we will not be able to learn the complete meaning behind Firestorm's words until he recovers and can explain them, we at least know this: Someone is coming to Earth, and whoever this someone is, he is a threat."

"A threat to just you Autobots alone, or a threat to Earth as a whole?" Mearing asked. She had been quiet since her earlier confrontation with Optimus when Firestorm had been brought into the hangar, but their argument was more or less forgotten in the face of this newer, approaching threat.

"If something merits that we Autobots get a warning about it, you better believe that whatever it is-no, _whoever _it is-is a threat to everyone," Computron spoke up. The small Autobot was perched on the railing that surrounded an upper balcony in the hangar where the humans stood nearby; this was so that he could more or less be at optic level with his fellow Autobots, all of whom present towered over him. "You already know what it takes to provide an actual legitimate danger to us. Putting that together with what Bumblebee has just told us, we can logically come to the conclusion that whatever the meaning behind this warning is, it is most definitely _not_ good. For we Autobots, for NEST, for Earth."

"But the way it was worded, it sounds like there's only one part to this threat-whoever this '_he_' is," Will looked at Optimus. "Any ideas about who it could be?"

"Not any clear ones," The Prime responded. "Firestorm was an archivist dealing with information of Cybertron's ancient history before the war started. I believe this being he came to warn us of is from Cybertron's early days, but I do not know who it could be. There have been numerous threats throughout the history of Cybertron, and it will be hard, probably impossible, to determine who it is without Firestorm's explanation. I am afraid that, speculating aside, there is little that we can do until he comes out of stasis-lock."

"We can be ready," Sam insisted, speaking up for the first time since the meeting had begun. "I mean," he continued, as all those present in the hangar turned their attention onto him. "We might not know whoever this is that's coming. We don't know the details. But we can still get ready…you guys can do more training, extra patrols, warn the rest of the military…right?"

"You are right, Sam," Optimus agreed. He looked thoughtful. "With no Decepticon encounters for quite some time, we do have enough time to add in extra training exercises-both for Autobots and," he looked at Will, "for the human soldiers."

Will nodded. "We can handle that. And since we don't know the details yet, we should just stick to the basics of our usual training. We can fine-tune everything once we know what we'll be facing."

"That is settled, then," Optimus replied. "As for the extra patrols…" He turned to face Prowl.

Prowl stepped forward. "We already do daily patrols, but we could add in some extra ones. Of course, we won't know what we're looking for, so we'll have to do the same for the patrols as for the training. Stick to the basics, and worry about the details later."

"And for the military…" Will trailed off, giving Mearing a cautious glance.

"I can handle that," She replied instantly. "By this time tomorrow, everything will be taken care of."

Everyone was silent for a long moment following Mearing's statement. The same thoughts were in all of their minds-with the surviving Decepticons going into hiding, they had finally hoped that all of the Cybertronian threats were gone, but the evening's events had proved otherwise. By the sound of things, something really dangerous was going to happen. They had dealt with danger before, but the fact that this new danger had come after a year of no new threats threw everyone-human and Autobot-off-balance.

Off-balance for a brief moment, however. The anxiety was still there, but now they had the beginnings of a plan to deal with it. They each knew what they were doing.

Finally, Optimus spoke up again. "We may not know the nature of this threat. But I assure you that we will do whatever we can to ensure that Earth will not come to any harm from it. We have brought down threats by working together before. I have no doubts that we can do so again."

_And Firestorm is the key to this,_ the Prime thought.

_Primus, let him not be the same type of key that Sentinel was._

* * *

><p>There was, as Optimus Prime had pointed out, little more that they could do until Firestorm recovered enough to be able to tell them the full story behind his warning, so the meeting was brought to a close shortly after the decision had been made to form extra patrols, hold extra training exercises, and to inform the military of the incoming-but so far unknown-threat. Will and Mearing had gone to discuss the changes that would need to be happening to the human portion of NEST in light of the disturbing news. The other Autobots had gone off to continue with what they had been doing before the meeting-Prowl and Red Alert had begun their night patrol, Computron and Mirage went back to overlooking the security systems of the base, and Ratchet was back in medbay monitoring the stasis-locked Firestorm. Optimus was heading back to the main hangar to inform Silverbolt, Wheelie, and Brains of the events of the meeting, accompanying Bumblebee, Sam, and Carly, who were going to check up on Blaster.<p>

And that was another important matter that needed to be attended to. The Autobots and their human allies were all very careful when it came to the well being of the four Sparklings-five now-that were present in the Autobot base. If this being Firestorm had come to warn them of was coming to Earth with the intent to cause harm, as the old Decepticon's words seemed to imply, then the Sparklings were also in danger. Optimus would see to it that no harm would befall them, and he knew that every Autobot and human on the base would do the same. The Autobots would fight to protect the humans, but after fighting side by side with them for so long, Optimus and the other Autobots knew that the humans were quite capable of taking care of themselves; still, the Autobots offered their assistance and it was accepted. But the Sparklings were _not_ like the human soldiers or even the older Autobots. To use the human terms, they were just infants, or toddlers. They weren't able to defend themselves and needed to be looked after. While the Sparklings represented the future of their race, in a way, they were also a reflection of what the humans and other species native to Earth were to the Autobots-innocent lives that needed to be protected from the danger that was coming.

_Civilians,_ Optimus Prime thought. _That is what they are. Just like every other human on this planet. They need our protection from this new threat, whoever it is. And we must be ready to give it._ He shifted his attention to where the Sparklings were playing, with Silverbolt, Wheelie, and Brains keeping watch.

The area of the hangar that had been set up as the Sparklings' play area could be more or less described as what the humans referred to as a "giant playpen". The Autobots had used their knowledge of what would be safe for a Sparkling-drawing from their experiences with Bumblebee when _he_ was a Sparkling-to construct a place in the hangar that was both safe for the Sparklings to play in and where it was easy for the older Autobots to watch over them. The humans on base had even contributed some ideas-such as the large, squishy blocks that the Sparklings could play with or on, which were nothing more than larger versions of toys that human children played with. Adapting the human toys for the Sparklings turned out to be a great idea-the Sparklings loved them.

As he approached the play area with Bumblebee, Sam, and Carly, however, it did not escape Optimus's notice that only four of the Sparklings were playing together. The fifth Sparkling was partially hiding behind one of the smaller blocks, watching the others play but making no move to join them.

Bumblebee stepped forward, letting out a concerned chirp. Blaster turned from his hiding place when he heard his caretaker calling out. With a small squeak, Blaster tried to crawl his way over the blocks to get to Bumblebee, but his small size made that impossible, and he was only able to get his hands on top of one of the blocks. Bumblebee hurried over and lifted Blaster up and over the block, but when he moved to sit Blaster down again, the Sparkling protested with a soft cry, so Bumblebee lifted him back up again, continuing to hold him.

"He's been like that for practically the entire time he's been out here on his own, since you all left," Silverbolt was explaining to Bumblebee as Optimus, Sam, and Carly caught up to the younger Autobot. "Wouldn't play with the others at all. He looked like he _wanted_ to, but he stayed behind that block the whole time and just watched. Trailbreaker even went over and offered him one of their toys, but he just wriggled further back and didn't take it."

"Is he always like this?" Optimus questioned, looking at Bumblebee. The Prime had only seen Blaster a few times since Bumblebee had taken charge of him when he had been a little Hatchling, but Bumblebee was always giving updates on how the Sparkling was doing via his long-range communications (something that Ratchet had insisted on if the Sparkling was not going to be raised on-base), and both what the Prime had seen and the scout had reported before didn't fit with what Optimus was seeing now.

Bumblebee shook his head. _No, sir. Normally he's very active and playful._ Turning his attention back to Blaster, Bumblebee found a brief radio clip he could use to try to find out what the problem was. _"What's wrong-sprout?"_ He questioned, using his special nickname for the Sparkling in hopes of cheering him up.

In response, Blaster merely let out a pitiful sounding whine and buried his face in Bumblebee's shoulder armor. Despite Bumblebee's coaxing, the Sparkling refused to show his face again. The young Autobot looked back up at Optimus.

_I think…I think he's really upset and stressed over everything that happened tonight, sir_, Bumblebee realized. _And…he's not used to being around so many others. I don't think it would normally bother him, but after what happened…_

"That does make sense," Optimus mused. He knew that sometimes Sparklings, especially really young Sparklings like Blaster, would react badly to sudden changes, and Optimus knew that what had happened-Bumblebee had told Ratchet about how he had been hurt and went into a spinout in vehicle mode earlier, and Ratchet had told Optimus-was not only sudden, but terrifying. He had seen how shaken up the humans had been, and Bumblebee hadn't fared much better from the experience. Blaster, however, was far younger than they were and couldn't deal with the situation as well as they could.

"Guess he's still pretty shaken up from what happened, huh?" Sam asked, looking up at Blaster, who still had his face against Bumblebee's shoulder.

Bumblebee's doorwings drooped and he chirped a soft affirmative.

"Poor little guy," Carly said sadly, giving the Sparkling a sympathetic glance.

Optimus considered the upset Blaster for a moment, and then turned his attention to Bumblebee. He could see the worry for Blaster in Bumblebee's optics, but he could also see just how much Bumblebee himself was exhausted. Caring for a Sparkling was indeed a tiring, difficult process, especially when said Sparkling was upset. However, all of the other Autobots who were currently Sparkling caretakers had had experience before-caring for Bumblebee when he had been a Sparkling himself. As the-until recently-youngest of the Autobots, the scout didn't have the luxury of prior experience caring for a Sparkling; Bumblebee was completely new to this, and although he was doing a very good job considering his inexperience, Optimus knew that a gentle push in the right direction every now and then was both helpful and appreciated.

"Perhaps the best thing would be for him to be taken home so that he can rest," Optimus suggested. "I believe that he might feel better after recharging. It should calm him down, and perhaps one reason he is still upset is because he is tired-you know that Sparklings need to recharge more often than we do. And," the Prime continued pointedly, "I believe that you could all use some rest after tonight's…excitement."

"It is pretty late," Sam commented, after looking at his phone to see what time it was-he couldn't bring himself to wear a watch anymore after the last one he had on was a Decepticon that liked to shock his nervous system for fun-and being surprised to see that it was almost midnight. "We were so focused and worried about Firestorm that we lost track of time, looks like."

"I have to admit, going home and getting some sleep sounds pretty good to me right now," Carly admitted.

"I could get behind the idea of a nice long recharge," Wheelie admitted.

"Sounds good to me," Brains added.

"But is it okay for us to go? I mean, considering what happened, what if you need extra help tonight?" Sam questioned hesitatingly.

"There is little more we can do now, except wait for Firestorm to come out of his stasis," Optimus said gravely. "While I do appreciate and accept your offer to help, Sam, and yours, Bumblebee," He nodded at the scout, referring to their earlier conversation in the main hangar, "I think you will be better able to help if all of you get a good night's rest tonight, and return to the base tomorrow."

_Are you sure about it, sir?_ Bumblebee asked, but even as he finished his question the feel of Blaster burying his face even further into his shoulder armor with another soft whimper provided the answer before Optimus responded.

"I am sure, Bumblebee. Everything will be fine for tonight. Please, return home, all of you. Rest. You need it."

Sam looked as if he wanted to argue, but a glance up at Bumblebee allowed him to see just how tired his friend was, as well as the obvious distress he knew Blaster was in, and, when he added that with the fact that Carly had said she was tired as well (and he was pretty exhausted _himself_), he relented, sighing. "All right, then. Let's go home."

Bumblebee, still holding Blaster against his shoulder, looked back at Optimus. _Sir, when would be the best time for us to come back tomorrow?_

"There is no rush," Optimus informed the young Autobot. His next words were addressed to Sam and the others, as well. "Take as much time as you need, and come back to the base when you feel ready."

"But what if Firestorm wakes up before then and you need us?" Sam asked.

"Firestorm will not come out of stasis for a few days yet. But if he were to do so for some strange reason, I would let you know immediately. Now, go on. Things will be handled here. Do not worry about it-just focus on getting the rest you need. We will see you when you return tomorrow."

Optimus watched as Bumblebee handed Blaster to Sam (the little Sparkling only protesting with a slight whine, apparently too tired now to do much more), before Transforming back into his Camaro form, opening his doors so that his adopted family could get in.

Bumblebee turned to leave, but hesitated, comming Optimus one last time before doing so. _Tomorrow, then, sir?_

"Yes, tomorrow," Optimus nodded.

_You will let us know if anything happens, right?_

"Of course, but I highly doubt that anything will."

Still with a handful of misgivings, but feeling more at ease than he had been since the metal from Firestorm's entry had slammed into him, Bumblebee drove from the hangar, eager to get home and rest. _Goodnight, sir._

"Goodnight, Bumblebee," Optimus replied, watching as the young Autobot drove away.

He only hoped that the reassurances he had given Bumblebee and the others would hold to be true.

* * *

><p>Despite his exhaustion, Bumblebee found himself wide awake nearly two hours after he and his family had returned home from the Autobot base. Blaster had fallen into recharge on the drive back, waking only long enough to be fed once they were home, and Sam and Carly had fallen asleep shortly after entering their room when they had gotten back inside their house. Wheelie and Brains had also gone into recharge in one of the upstairs rooms as well. Bumblebee, however, hadn't found rest easy to achieve. He had tried several times to go into recharge, but when he failed to do so each time he finally gave up, resigning himself to the fact that the night's events swirling around in his processor had made recharge impossible.<p>

Wearily venting a sigh, the young Autobot unshuttered his optics and sat up, pushing himself away from the wall he had been leaning against, stretching slightly as he did so. The lighting in the room was dim-Sam had turned off most of the lights but had left one that had different brightness settings on low so that if he or Carly needed to go downstairs for something they would be able to see-and Bumblebee adjusted his optics so that he would be able to see better in the limited light. Not that there was much to see in the room. Not yet, anyway. Some furniture was set up, but there were still quite a few unpacked boxes scattered around. The boxes were actually the most interesting thing in the room-one open box in particular-and Bumblebee leaned forward to check on the contents of the opened box that was close to him, careful to be quiet as he did so.

Thankfully, Blaster was still inside the box that was being used as a temporary berth until they could set up his proper one, curled up in a pile of towels, deep in recharge with his left fist partially in his mouth. Bumblebee hadn't heard the Sparkling get up, so he hadn't doubted that he would still be in the box, but as Blaster was known for sneaking off and hiding at times, he'd felt it was best to check-with the house not being completely moved into and everything in disarray, if Blaster had wandered off he could have gotten hurt. The young Autobot scout made a mental note to try and discover any potential hiding places fit for a Sparkling so that he would know where to look if…no, in Blaster's case it would most likely be _when_…the need arose. At least that kind of precaution would not be needed when Blaster was in the Autobot base, where there was a secure play-area for the Sparklings and more than enough older mechs-and humans-to keep a watchful eye, or optic, on them.

The base…

Bumblebee leaned back against the wall, venting quietly as he turned his thoughts back to the idea that had started forming in his processor when he had accepted Optimus's offer to help out around the base. The meeting that followed and the drive home, combined with the sheer exhaustion he and his family were all feeling, had driven it into the back of his processor, but now that he was unable to recharge and was the only one still awake in the house, it came to the forefront again. It was something that he _wanted_ to do, something that he felt was necessary, but at the same time, he was reluctant to carry out the idea, worried about what his family-especially Sam-would think about it.

_Maybe that's why I can't recharge,_ Bumblebee thought. _I'm too busy worrying about this. I should just-_

"Bee?"

Bumblebee's optics widened and his antennae lifted in surprise. He'd been so deep in his worry over whether or not to carry out the idea he had that he'd failed to notice that Sam had come out of the bedroom. He raised his head and looked up to see Sam leaning over the railing that ran the length of the loft-like second floor, giving him a concerned look.

"You okay, Bee?" Sam asked.

Bumblebee nodded with a soft chirp, giving Sam a thumbs-up.

Frowning slightly, not believing that everything was fine despite what Bumblebee had done, Sam motioned the young Autobot over. He'd woken up thirsty and had gotten some water, but he'd heard Bumblebee's "sigh" from the living room and had gone to check on his friend. He looked over the young Autobot, concerned. Bumblebee was clearly tired; Sam could basically feel the scout's exhaustion just by looking at him. His normally bright optics were dim, his antennae and door wings were drooping-all telltale signs of how tired he really was- and yet he was still awake.

"Why are you awake?" Sam asked, smothering a yawn. "Shouldn't you be asleep…er, recharging?"

"_Can't. Tried,"_ Bumblebee pieced together as he came up to the loft, resting his hands on the railing (thankfully the railing had been reinforced to support an Autobot leaning against it, probably by the ones who had installed the door in the back that Bumblebee could use), lowering the volume of his radio so that he wouldn't disturb Blaster or any of the others who were still asleep or recharging.

"Are you still worried about what Firestorm said?"

Bumblebee looked down for a moment, and then, meeting Sam's eyes again, he nodded. _"It-sounded-dangerous," _he transmitted. He could tell that Sam understood his meaning by the expression on his friend's-_brother's_-face.

"Optimus is going to handle things, Bee. The military and NEST and everyone are going to work to make sure whoever this jerk is that's coming can't do a thing to hurt anyone," Sam told Bumblebee firmly. "And we'll look out for each other like always, right? It'll be okay, Bee, so no worries."

"_No worries,"_ Bumblebee repeated. He wished he felt as confident about this as Sam. Oh, he believed that Optimus Prime could handle everything. He had complete faith in his leader; he knew that the Prime would lead the Autobots and their human allies through whatever was coming as safely as was possible-and _that_ was the main problem. The fact that this coming threat was unknown was what really bothered him. Firestorm knew who it was, but he was currently in stasis-lock, and he hadn't said how long it would be before the threat arrived, only that time was short. What if it arrived before Firestorm came back online and told them the full story behind his warning?

How could they protect their human allies and their home if they didn't know what they were facing?

Bumblebee didn't know what would happen to his friends, his family, and his home if that happened. He didn't _want_ to know. However, he was willing to take the steps necessary to make sure he would be able to protect them, no matter what this threat was, and that was where the idea he had been turning over in his processor came in.

The young Autobot looked down, vented quietly, then slowly met Sam's gaze again. _Here goes_, he thought anxiously. "S-Sam," he began, speaking quietly in his own voice and ignoring the pains he felt as his voice capacitor protested its use, "I...I w-want t-to…"

Sam met the gaze from his optics evenly, and Bumblebee saw understanding in his human brother's eyes. "You want to be on active duty in NEST again, don't you, Bee?"

Bumblebee turned his optics away and fell silent. There wasn't any need to continue speaking, in any form. Sam _always_ knew what he meant. He could decipher the meaning behind Bumblebee's spliced together radio transmissions, always seemed to know what he meant before Bumblebee himself had even finished trying to speak, and even on those occasions (which were many) where he couldn't speak in any way at all, Sam always understood him. Bumblebee loved that; after going so long without being able to talk at all, having someone who understood him completely was wonderful. At times, however, Sam's perceptiveness about what he was saying made Bumblebee anxious, especially if he wasn't too sure if he really wanted to continue saying what he was going to say.

This was one of those times.

He looked back at Sam. _"It'd only-be for-a little while. Until this-whole mess-blows over."_ He meant that, and he wanted to make sure that Sam knew he meant that, pushing all the sincerity he could into his optics as he held his brother's gaze. It wouldn't be like the last time he had gone on active duty, where he had promised to visit and had not done so for a year. Sam looked worried, and Bumblebee knew that he was also thinking about the last time. _It won't be like that again,_ he promised silently. _I'll only do this until the threat is gone, and then I'm done. No more active duty, no more fighting. Ever. I promise, Sam._

Sam's shoulders slumped as he appeared to come to a decision, and he offered Bumblebee a small grin. "It's okay, Bee. I don't mind. Hey, besides, I'm going to have a job at NEST too, remember? We'll be working at the same place, maybe even together, who knows?"

Bumblebee felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He should have known Sam would be accepting of his decision. He'd worried about it for nothing. Still, he couldn't help asking, _"Are you sure-you have-no problems-with-this?"_

Sam leaned forward and gave Bumblebee's check an affectionate pat. "I'm fine with it, Bee. The important thing is that it's what _you_ want to do, and I know that everything will work out in the end."

_I hope you're right,_ Bumblebee thought, still unable to completely erase that same glimmer of worry inside his Spark. Sam's words had been comforting, though, and he was grateful for that. "T-thank y-you, Sam."

"No problem, Bee. That's what brothers are for, remember?" Sam paused, and looked over the Autobot again in concern. "How are your burns?"

"_Alright,"_ Bumblebee responded with a shrug. It was basically true; apart from small twinges of pain now and then, his burns weren't bothering him at all, really. The Energon solution Ratchet had used on the burns was doing its job, working with his own repair systems to heal the burns faster than the systems alone could.

"That's good." Sam looked around Bumblebee and down towards the floor, so that he could see the box that Blaster was recharging in. He fought against another yawn and failed. "Blaster's got the right idea, Bee-sleep for me, recharge for you." He hesitated, and then continued, "Is he okay?"

"_He-hasn't-woken up,"_ Bumblebee replied, looking back at Blaster. The little Sparkling hadn't woken up since falling back into recharge after being fed, which was actually a good sign-it showed that Optimus had been right and a nice long recharge was just what Blaster needed to feel better after the trying events of that night. He returned his attention to Sam, another worry pushing at his thoughts. He was almost afraid to ask his next question, but he needed to know the answer.

"Sam…are…are y-you…j-jealous?"

Sam's eyes widened and he looked at Bumblebee, startled. "Jealous? What are you talking about, Bee?"

Bumblebee vented. He'd been wondering about this for quite some time, but had tried to not focus on it too much. But now, after Sam's acceptance and answer for his previous question, he knew that not only did he _need_ to ask Sam this question, he could accept whatever answer Sam gave him. Slowly piecing together radio clips, he explained his question. _"I-always have-to take more-care of-Blaster-focus on him –more than -spending time-with you."_

To Bumblebee's surprise, Sam frowned. "You think I'm _jealous_ of how much care and attention you give to Blaster?"

The young Autobot shrugged helplessly.

With a sigh, Sam looked up at Bumblebee. "Bee, Blaster is a Sparkling. Just a baby in your terms, right? And a baby needs more care and attention than someone _my_ age does. Besides, if I was jealous, would I help you take care of him? Would I play with him? He's a _baby_, Bee. Why would I be jealous?"

Confused, Bumblebee tilted his head to one side as he looked at Sam. "I…"

Sam drummed his fingers on the loft railing for a moment, as he thought of how to phrase his explanation. "Let me put it this way, Bee. If the situation was reversed, and Carly and I were the ones taking care of a baby and giving it lots of care and attention, would _you_ be jealous of that baby?"

Bumblebee's optics brightened slightly as he understood what Sam was telling him. "N-no. It's j-just g-getting what it n-needs."

Sam nodded. "Exactly, Bee. You're just taking proper care of Blaster. Why would that make me jealous?" He paused, and then grinned mischievously. "You're being a good daddy, Bee." His smile widened as Bumblebee let out a very quiet, raspy laugh at being referred to as a "daddy". Sam folded his arms on the loft railing and rested his chin on them. "And I'm _not_ jealous, so don't worry. We still hang out, don't we? Everything's fine."

Bumblebee chirped gratefully. He was glad that his worry that Sam might be jealous had been proven unfounded. He lightly touched Sam's shoulder with a finger to express his gratitude, and Sam smiled at him before letting out another yawn.

"Well, Bee, I'm going to head back to bed. Think you can recharge now?"

Bumblebee nodded. The troubling thoughts that had prevented him from resting earlier were gone (for the most part), and his exhaustion was finally seeping through the barrier his concerns had built.

Sam got up from leaning against the rail and headed back to the bedroom he shared with Carly. Pausing with his hand on the doorknob, he turned back to look at Bumblebee again. "Hey, goodnight, Bee. Remember-no worries. Right?"

Bumblebee nodded. Sam offered him a tired smile before he opened the door and went back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

The young Autobot settled back into his former location, leaning against the wall. He shuttered his optics as he was finally able to successfully start his recharge cycle. Before he completely drifted off, he repeated what Sam had told him in his processor. _No worries. I hope you're right, Sam, but we'll have a lot of work to do to make sure there really ARE no worries._ The next few days would be long and full of hard work, but it would be worth it to keep his family safe.

Bumblebee fell completely into recharge hoping that he would be able to do so.

* * *

><p>With their preparations for the unknown threat being carried out daily, time seemed to pass more quickly for the Autobots, even though it had only been three days since Ratchet, Optimus, and Bumblebee had brought the stasis-locked Firestorm back to the base. All of the Autobots were usually busy training or going on patrols. Bumblebee himself had done combat training with Sideswipe first; he had been a little rusty at the start but had quickly regained his footing and now it was impossible by watching him to tell that it had been a year since he had done any fighting-training or otherwise. Although he still did combat training daily, lately he had been assigned patrols, which weren't very exciting to some of the older Autobots, but Bumblebee loved seeing new things, so he enjoyed it a lot.<p>

At the moment, Sam was working in the NEST Intel department. It wasn't a sure thing that it would be the final job he would have in NEST, but it was where the most non-combat help was needed at the moment, so he had willingly accepted the position there. Carly was helping out, too-she was using what she knew about renovating vehicles to work on some of the ones that the soldiers used. Wheelie and Brains were helping Computron with the security systems and Teletraan-I, the main computer network the Autobots used, and Blaster, despite the rough start he'd had, had finally come out of his timid attitude around the other Sparklings and seemed to have become best friends with Trailbreaker and First Aid, staying relatively close to them when they were all in the Sparkling play area.

Firestorm still remained unresponsive in the medbay, but Ratchet assured them all that he was recovering and it was only a matter of time before he came out of his stasis-lock, and when that happened, they would all finally know just what they needed to prepare for, and they would be able to make adjustments to what they were already doing to fit what they learned.

On the afternoon of the third day, Prowl drove down the streets of Dayton, heading an extra patrol that Optimus had suggested earlier that day. Red Alert and Bumblebee were accompanying him, and the main point of the patrol, besides to keep an optic out for any threatening activity that might possibly be connected to the warning the Autobots had received, was to help Bumblebee continue to get himself familiarized with the city. It was working, too- Bumblebee was quickly learning his way around the area.

_All right, Bumblebee,_ Prowl told the younger Autobot over their comms. _Tall buildings are usually a good place to meet up with others after you finish a patrol so that you can head back together. This is because they're easy to spot. So, what building would you meet Red Alert or myself at?_

_Kettering Tower,_ Bumblebee responded promptly. _ It's just a little ways ahead, and it's the tallest high-rise building downtown._

_Good,_ Prowl commended. _That's right. But unfortunately, while they do make good meeting places, tall buildings are also easy targets for, say, Decepticons, because, again, of being easy to spot._

_That's not good,_ Bumblebee replied. _If the Decepticons come back of if this threat gets here before we know what it is, we could get attacked while we're waiting to meet up with each other._

_Exactly!_ Red Alert cut in. _It's happened before, remember, Prowl? Back when we did those patrols on Cybertron? Nearly had a building topple onto us because Starscream and his friend Thundercracker thought it would be funny to knock it over._

_Yes, I remember, _Prowl responded wearily. _But we were able to get away from the building before it collapsed, and we gave those Decepticons a few parting shots, too._

_That wasn't the only time, though. It happened more than once!_

_Unfortunately, those Decepticons never knew when to stop,_ Prowl agreed. _We've been in enough fights and ambushes to see that._

_How long have you two known each other?_ Bumblebee asked curiously. He knew that Prowl and Red Alert were old friends, but he didn't know just how long they had been that way.

_A long time,_ Prowl replied. _You were very young at the time, but do you remember living in Iacon, Bumblebee?_

_A little,_ Bumblebee admitted. His memories of the time he had lived there with Ironhide and some of the other Autobots-including Optimus Prime-were blurry; at the time he had been what he now knew was the Cybertronian equivalent of a four-year-old human child. But he knew they hadn't stayed there for too long; the city had been the last true Autobot stronghold and therefore a major Decepticon target. It had eventually been overrun, so they quickly evacuated the city, and had moved, splitting up into smaller groups based in different areas on the planet that were less of a target for the Decepticon forces, where they would be able to plan counterstrikes without worrying about being attacked in turn.

_Well, Red Alert and I met shortly before the move to the outer colonies. Do you remember that?_

_Yes._

_I ran into him on one of my routine patrols,_ Prowl continued. _He was having a panic attack about being on a known Decepticon patrol route-which I would later learn panic attacks were a common, normal occurrence for him-but he told me that he was a former security officer for one of the small neutral groups and he wanted to join the Autobots, so I took him back to Iacon with me, and we've been on the security force together ever since. And I got used to his panic attacks. Eventually._

_Hey, now, my panic attacks never happen without reason,_ Red Alert protested.

_I know, I know,_ Prowl said. _And you've saved the life of many an Autobot because your panic attacks help us see from all the angles. Now, Bumblebee,_ Prowl addressed the young Autobot then, returning to the task at hand. _ Where are the NEST soldiers currently looking out for potential new recruits, that gives you a place where you can locate NEST members outside of the base easily if you need them?_

_Wright State University,_ Bumblebee said. _That way. They have a great military program there, for the Air Force and the Army. It's got connections to the Air Force Base._

_Good,_ Prowl said in satisfaction. _I think you pretty much know your way around now, Bumblebee. Let's head back and report to Prime._

* * *

><p>Dark. It was dark. There were voices-both familiar and unfamiliar-speaking a language he did not know, and he felt a presence nearby constantly. Gradually, the voices faded until they were gone completely, and the dark began to lighten slightly. The presence was still there, but it was a distant one, and he knew that it would not leave him regardless of what happened; whatever, whoever it was, it was watching him. There was a strong feeling of hostility that accompanied that presence, but at the moment his processor was still struggling to fully come back online and didn't completely process what such hostility could mean.<p>

His first coherent thought was, _Where exactly am I?_

Suddenly, everything came tumbling back into his processor as he remembered what had happened. His mission! The message! Had he made it to Earth? He remembered making his hot comet entry, remembered that a small Autobot had found him and spoken to him. But where was that Autobot now? Had his message been passed on to Optimus Prime?

Firestorm unshuttered his optics and, just barely noting that he had been stretched out on a berth, he leapt onto the floor. The old Seeker didn't recognize the layout or building style of the room he was in, but it did bear the unmistakable signs of a Cybertronian medbay, despite being constructed of a material he did not recognize. But he didn't have time to study these new surroundings. He had a more urgent matter to attend to. He couldn't assume that his message had been passed on; the consequences for doing so would be severe if it had not been. He liked to think that the small Autobot _had_ delivered his message, but he still needed to find Optimus Prime, just in case.

A silver blur suddenly entered his vision and he found himself backed up against the berth by an Autobot warrior not even half his size that was holding a blade to his throat armor.

"**Don't move, Decepticon,"** the Autobot growled, his tone of voice identifying him as the source of the hostility Firestorm had felt while in stasis. **"Try anything, and you get skewered."**

"**I am not going to try anything,"** Firestorm said with a calmness that didn't betray the urgency that he was actually feeling. The silver Autobot blinked in surprise, probably expecting an aggressive snarl of a voice and clearly taken off guard by the reasonable, only slightly gruff baritone Firestorm spoke with instead. **"I need to speak to Optimus Prime. It is very important to the welfare of this planet, and everyone on it, that Optimus Prime receives my message. So please, Autobot, lower your blade. I will not harm you or anyone else."**

The Autobot's blade wavered a bit, but then he steadied it back into its original position. Pain and barely-suppressed anger was evident in his voice as he spoke again. **"I can't do that. You see, we've been tricked before by someone we believed was our ally, and our trust cost us a friend and mentor and nearly destroyed this planet. We're more cautious now. So you'll have to excuse me for not blindingly believing you."**

This was getting nowhere, and time was short; Firestorm could still feel the evil presence that was coming, but even though it had grown significantly fainter as he had put more distance in-between it and himself, as he had approached Earth, he could tell it was still moving towards the planet. Firestorm knew what he had to do, regardless of trust issues. He had to warn them, but going by what this Autobot had just told him, it would not be an easy task if they had been fooled-especially by a supposed ally.

The old Seeker vented wearily. **"Very well. I understand. Restrain me if you must. Continue to hold your blade to my throat armor if it makes you feel at ease. Just please, let me speak to Optimus Prime. Time is short."**

He saw confusion flicker into the Autobot's optics at his cooperation, but it quickly disappeared and the Autobot nodded, finally lowering his blade.

"**All right. I'll comm Prime and let him know."**

Firestorm inclined his head towards the Autobot. **"Thank you."**

"**But I'm still watching you, so don't try anything,"** the silver Autobot warned, pointing his blade back at Firestorm briefly before lowering it again. **"I mean it. I won't hesitate to kill you."**

Firestorm saw the resolve and renewed hostility in the Autobot's optics and warily eyed the blade, but made no attempt to move from his nonthreatening position beside the berth he had previously occupied. **"I believe you."**

* * *

><p>"We found nothing unusual on patrol, Optimus. As usual, there were no signs of Decepticon activity and no signs of a threat of any kind. It seems that, if Firestorm <em>was<em> telling the truth, this threat is taking its time getting here."

Optimus Prime vented wearily at Prowl's words. "Until Firestorm awakens and we can actually speak with him, we have no choice but to treat his warning as the truth. We cannot afford to not do so. The risks we would be taking by disregarding any possible threat are too dangerous to even consider."

"I know." Prowl frowned and crossed his arms. "It's just that I'm having a hard time believing that a Decepticon would be telling us the truth."

"Anything is possible, Prowl."

As the Head of Security, Prowl knew that what Optimus said was true, so he remained silent, deciding to keep the continued expressions of his doubt of Firestorm's honesty quiet for the time being. Instead, he followed Optimus over to the Sparkling play area, were Bumblebee, who had been joined by Sam, already was.

"Are you finding your way around town better now, Bumblebee?" The Prime asked as he stopped next to the young scout.

Bumblebee nodded, chirping in confirmation.

"And how are your burns?" The Prime questioned next, concern in his voice.

_Nearly gone, sir,_ Bumblebee replied via his comm. He was distracted from further answering Optimus when Blaster and Trailbreaker approached; Trailbreaker walking on his own- albeit a bit unsteadily-and Blaster rapidly crawling towards the older Autobots.

"Bee, lookit!" Blaster demanded, holding up a stuffed penguin as he came to a stop in front of his caretaker. "Lookit!"

Bumblebee chirped inquisitively, reaching out to take to stuffed animal as Blaster offered it to him.

Trailbreaker also was carrying a stuffed toy animal, but his was a bear. He held it up so that Optimus could see it, too. "Bur, Opt."

"I think you mean _bear_, Trailbreaker," Optimus said with a slight chuckle, lowering himself so that he was a little closer to the Sparkling's level.

"Bur," Trailbreaker said again, trying to pronounce the word the way his caretaker had, but not being very successful due to the fact that his still-developing voice capacitor caused him to have trouble pronouncing certain words. "Ber?"

"Close enough," Optimus said with a smile. He looked over the toys that Blaster and Trailbreaker had, and then looked at the other Sparklings, noting that they each had their own toy animal as well. "Where did these toys come from?"

"It was Carly's idea," Sam explained. "She thought that maybe Blaster wouldn't be so upset about being here without Bee if he had a favorite toy to hold on to, so she got him that penguin. And, well, we realized that the other Sparklings might like toys, too, so we got them each one. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and they do really like them." He smiled sheepishly.

Bumblebee let out another chirp, wordlessly agreeing with Sam about how good of an idea it was, before handing the toy penguin back to Blaster. He watched with amusement as the little red Sparkling hugged his toy with a happy squeak.

"I agree, Sam, it does seem to have been a good idea." Optimus Prime nodded. "Anything that-" he stopped midsentence as a communication rang through his processor.

_Optimus, sir?_

Optimus held out a hand, signaling to Sam, Prowl, and Bumblebee-who were looking at him, confused as to why he had stopped talking-that he would resume their conversation momentarily. _Yes, what is it, Sideswipe?_

_Firestorm's online, sir._

The Prime's optics widened. _When did this happen?_

_Just now. Ratchet's already in here, but Firestorm is insisting that he must speak with you as soon as possible._

_I will be there shortly._ Optimus ended his communication with Sideswipe and, standing back to his full height, returned his attention to the others. "Firestorm is online and insisting that he needs to speak with me. Prowl, come with me to the medbay." He paused and considered Bumblebee and Sam. They had been there when Firestorm had arrived and deserved to hear what the old Decepticon had to say. "Bumblebee, Sam, you two may come with me as well. Red Alert?" He waited as the Security officer hurried up to him. "Keep an optic on the Sparklings, please."

Red Alert nodded, looking over at the Sparklings, who had been rejoined by Blaster and Trailbreaker and were all playing together again, before turning back to Optimus. "Yes, sir."

Optimus turned and headed towards the medbay, closely followed by Prowl, Bumblebee, and Sam.

It was finally time to find out what Firestorm had meant by _"He is coming"_.

* * *

><p>Firestorm had been true to his word and had made no effort to engage in battle. As a result, Ratchet was, however reluctantly, finally beginning to believe that the old Decepticon really was not a threat to anyone on the base-human or Autobot. Firestorm was standing quietly next to the berth he had been previously resting on when he had been in stasis-lock, allowing Ratchet to perform one last medical scan to make sure that his Energon levels were, indeed, back up to normal, and, to the medic's slight relief, they were.<p>

Near the entrance to the medbay, Sideswipe spoke up. "Optimus is on his way, Ratchet."

Finishing up his scan, Ratchet nodded. "Good. Now we can finally get to the bottom of this." He glanced up at Firestorm, switching back into Cybertronian speech. **"As Sideswipe said, we have learned to not throw our trust around blindly to fellow Cybertronians anymore. We'll need to thoroughly go over whatever it is you tell us to find out if you are telling the truth."**

Firestorm nodded. **"I understand. I do not mind."**

The door to the medbay opened, and those inside turned to see Optimus Prime standing there, with Prowl and Bumblebee visible just behind him, and Sam in Bumblebee's hand.

Firestorm studied Optimus Prime. _He has definitely changed from that lost Youngling who wandered into my office at the Hall of Records so long ago_, the old Seeker realized. His gaze shifted to Prowl, who he had only seen once or twice, and the Security officer had pretty much remained the same. The presence of the human was interesting; he had not expected the Autobots would take the risk of letting one near him just yet, and realized that the reason he was being carried by the other Autobot accompanying Optimus was most likely for protection. But it was this yellow Autobot that truly surprised him. Firestorm recognized him as the Autobot he had met when he had arrived, but now that he could see him clearly, he could tell just how painfully young this Autobot was. But his age didn't make any sense-based on what Firestorm knew, it should have been impossible. There were rumors that there were Younglings left from the tragedy at the Youth Sectors, but at the yellow Autobot's age, _he_ couldn't be one of _them_.

His curious looking-over of the young Autobot did not go unnoticed by the silver mech who had threatened him when he had come out of stasis. He shot Firestorm a glare and moved slightly in front of the yellow Youngling. This protective action made Firestorm realize even more that Ratchet and the silver mech were dead serious about not trusting him, especially around a Youngling and a human.

The old Seeker gave a little shake of his head. He could not blame them for that, but regardless of how they felt about him, Firestorm knew that he needed to let them know what he had come to Earth to tell them. He stepped forward, but stopped when Sideswipe tensed again, and this time took a threatening step towards _him_. Optimus, however, held a reproving hand up in Sideswipe's direction and nodded at Firestorm. Recognizing this as an unspoken start to the conversation they needed to have, Firestorm inclined his head towards Optimus.

"**Optimus Prime. It has been a very long time."**

"**Yes, it has,"** Optimus agreed. **"Firestorm. The languages of this planet are the ones we use now, out of respect for our human allies." **He gestured towards the human sitting in the young yellow Autobot's hand before continuing.** "You may access the base network and download them yourself. The one we most commonly speak is called English."**

Firestorm did as requested. It was amazing, the number of languages these humans spoke. He added them all to the languages he already had on file, and then pulled the English protocols to the forefront. It was time to test out his newly-acquired language.

"You humans have an amazing number of languages," He commented, tilting his head to one side as he regarded the human in the Autobot Youngling's hand briefly before returning his attention to Optimus. "You seek an explanation for what I was able to tell this young 'un here." He nodded slightly towards the Youngling, then continued, "When he found me, before I went into stasis. And there is no time to waste, so here is my explanation. You are all in danger. This entire _planet_ is in danger, and unless you all prepare for it and rise to meet it when it gets here, something terrible will happen. You see…"

Firestorm straightened then, and looked Optimus directly in the optics.

"Unicron is coming."

* * *

><p>The silence that greeted Firestorm's declaration stretched on for a long moment. The Autobots didn't know what to make of it-it seemed far too outrageous to be true.<p>

"Unicron?" Sideswipe asked, finally breaking the silence. "The Destroyer? Isn't he just a story to tell Younglings?"

_Yeah,_ Bumblebee agreed. _You know, like 'Go into recharge or Unicron will get you' or, 'if you don't drink all of your Energon, I'll tell Unicron'._

Optimus glanced sharply at Bumblebee. "Where did you hear things like that, Bumblebee?" He turned to the suddenly guilty-looking Sideswipe. "Sideswipe, I told you that saying things like that to get obedience from a certain Youngling was not allowed, and the story of Unicron was certainly also not to be mentioned. You had better not be telling the same things to Fireflight."

Sideswipe shook his head. "It wasn't me, Prime. Sunstreaker was the one who did that. And I would _never _say that to Fireflight."

_It's okay, sir,_ Bumblebee added hastily. _I never believed it when he told me that stuff, and I wasn't ever told the full story about Unicron, either._

Optimus vented. "It should not have been said regardless."

Sam blinked in confusion, looking at the assembled Autobots. He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he assumed Bumblebee had said something over his comm that had to do with Unicron, but as he was not an Autobot, he only heard Sideswipe's and Optimus's side of the conversation. He looked over and noticed that Firestorm seemed as baffled as he was. Of course-he didn't have access to the comm frequencies of the Autobots, either-they didn't trust him enough yet to allow it.

Optimus shook his head. "Never mind it now. It is over and done with." He looked back at Firestorm. "Unicron?"

"Yes, Unicron." Firestorm nodded. "I am cursed to feel his presence, and I have felt his awakening, and his approach. His _continued_ approach. He is coming for the Matrix of Leadership-to destroy it-even as we speak."

"Why the Matrix?" Sam spoke up. He shrank back a little when the attention of the five Autobots and one Decepticon suddenly focused completely on him. His uncertainty only lasted a moment, however, and he continued. "Why does he want to destroy it?"

"Because, according to the legends, the Matrix of Leadership is the only thing that can destroy _him_," Optimus explained. "Or, at least, send him into stasis once again."

"Why is he called 'The Destroyer'?" Sam asked.

"Because he destroys," Firestorm replied simply. "Wherever Unicron travels, death and destruction follow in his wake. He destroys planets. Devours them until there is nothing left, and I mean absolutely _nothing_. As such, he is also known as 'The Planet Eater'. I assume you all know the story, yes?"

Optimus, Prowl, Sideswipe, and Ratchet nodded, but Sam shook his head.

"I'm a human who's lived on Earth my entire life," Sam replied with a small smile. "I don't know very much about Cybertronian legends, but Unicron isn't mentioned in any of the ones that I _do_ know."

Bumblebee looked at Optimus, shrugging and letting out an inquisitive chirp. _I don't know the story either, like I said before._

Optimus Prime noticed Firestorm watching the exchange that he could not hear between himself and Bumblebee. The old Decepticon had his head tilted to one side and a curious expression on his faceplates. "Two among our number do not know the story of Unicron," the Prime explained.

"Then perhaps it would be best for me to tell it." Firestorm nodded. "And may this be a refresher for those of you who _do_ know the story."

* * *

><p><em>Before there was the planet Cybertron, there existed two gods-Primus and Unicron. Primus was a god of creation; Unicron was a god of destruction. Even though they clashed often as a result of their greatly differing characteristics, for a time there was more or less a balance between the two.<em>

_Unfortunately, due to their conflicting natures, such a balance was doomed from the start. It eventually collapsed, and Primus and Unicron began to fight each other for control of the region of the universe they inhabited-Primus wanted to create life with what already existed in the area using the power of the All-Spark he carried, whereas Unicron wanted to destroy everything there and move on to do the same elsewhere. Primus knew that he could not allow Unicron to do so, and their battle lasted for eons, with the advantage continuously shifting from one to the other._

_Primus knew that he did not have the strength to defeat Unicron alone, so, utilizing the power of the All-Spark, he created the Thirteen-the original Primes who were the ancestors of all Primes who would come after them. With their help, Primus was finally able to meet Unicron in battle on even terms. The fight was long and brutal, but finally, Unicron was driven into stasis, and Primus used some of his power to banish Unicron to the far reaches of space._

_However, even though he and the Thirteen had achieved victory, the battle proved too much for Primus. With most of his energy gone, Primus used the last of his strength to force himself into the form of a planet, granting the Thirteen a home and the use of the All-Spark so that life could continue to be created in that region of space. His last act before completely slipping into stasis was to use the All-Spark to create the Matrix of Leadership, an artifact into which he poured some of his essence, that would serve as the means to defeat Unicron if he ever awoke and returned, as well as to help keep the planet alive. Over time, Primus himself became known by another name as he served as the home planet for the Thirteen and their descendants, and that was how Cybertron was born._

_As for Unicron, he remained in the farthest reaches of known space, locked in his own planet form, kept in stasis so that he could never again hurt another living creature._

* * *

><p>"And that is the story of Unicron," Firestorm finished, looking at the assembled Autobots and one human in the medbay. "It is known now as nothing more than a myth, but I assure you that every word of it is true."<p>

"So…" Sam looked uneasy. "If that's right, then Cybertron was this…Primus? But Cybertron was destroyed, so does that mean that Primus was also…"

"Primus is a god," Firestorm replied. "Even if his physical planetary form was destroyed, he would continue on in some other manner, though it is unknown what that may be."

"But it's just a myth," Sideswipe insisted, ignoring Firestorm's assurance to the contrary. "I mean, sure, the Thirteen, the All-Spark, and the Matrix are real, we've seen proof of that, but Unicron? Primus? Seems pretty far-fetched to _me_."

"Every word is true," Firestorm firmly said again. He hesitated briefly, then continued. "The first thing you need to know about me is that I am much older than you would think. I once served under the Thirteen themselves-the Dynasty of Primes-and they told me that it was true themselves. I worked for them as a Seeker, and I also…"

"A Seeker?" Sam interrupted, recognizing the word from three years ago. "You mean, you're like Jetfire?"

"Jetfire?" Firestorm's optics widened, and he looked quickly at Sam. "You know Jetfire?" He shifted his attention to the other assembled Autobots for confirmation. "Is he here, with the rest of you Autobots?"

"Er…no…he…" Sam looked at Bumblebee helplessly, and Bumblebee's doorwings drooped as he chirped sadly.

"Jetfire died in a country the people of this planet call Egypt, three years ago," Optimus informed Firestorm, his voice quiet with respect. "He gave his own life to assist us in saving this planet."

Firestorm flinched as if struck. "Oh...I am sorry to hear that. Jetfire and I were friends. We grew up together. Though we served different Primes, we both served the Dynasty at the same time. "

"You could just be telling us that to trick us into believing you. It's possible that you're lying to us," Prowl said in a voice low with disbelief.

"It is the truth," Firestorm responded quietly, still subdued by the knowledge of the death of his friend. He turned to Ratchet. "You can scan me to find out my age, and then you will know that I am speaking the truth."

Ratchet looked to Optimus, who nodded. They needed to confirm Firestorm's words as the truth, and if one of the ways to help do so was to find out his actual age, then so be it.

The medic turned and ran a scan over the old Decepticon, who stood by patiently waiting for him to finish. Once the scan was complete, Ratchet looked over the results for a moment, before turning back to face Optimus and the others.

"He's telling the truth, at least partially. He is old enough to have lived during the time of the Thirteen."

Sideswipe looked as if he wanted to say something in protest, but Optimus silenced him with a look before turning and taking a step towards Firestorm. "You served the Dynasty of Primes."

Firestorm nodded. "Yes. When I was younger I took orders from Nova Prime. While the main mission of those of us created to be Seekers was to find stars that could be harvested for their energy, we had another mission…a secret one that we never spoke of to anyone but the Primes themselves." He looked down, then back up at Optimus. "You are Prime now. I now will tell you-and because it is necessary, your allies- the secret mission I was tasked with alongside the others. We Seekers were the first of our race granted the ability that previously only Primus and Unicron had-the power to Transform. We were also granted and cursed with another power-the ability to sense Unicron. Our second, secret mission was to keep watch for Unicron in case he ever awoke again. Our ability to sense him would let us know if he came out of stasis. And he has. I sensed it quite some time ago and have been traveling here ever since in order to warn you. And Unicron himself can sense the Matrix-it has the same feel as Primus. He knows what it can do, and he will not allow it the chance. He is coming here to destroy it, and most likely the entire planet for good measure."

There was another long silence. Finally, Optimus asked the question they all wanted the answer to.

"How long do we have?"

Firestorm shuttered his optics and shook his head. "The time we have is short for _us_, but this world measures time differently than we do. Based on what I can sense, and the notes I took on this solar system…" He unshuttered his optics and looked Optimus in the optics. "Unicron will arrive on the fringes of your solar system on the day of the next solar eclipse this planet experiences."

"But that's too soon, even for Earth!" Sam cried out. "That's in November! It's only a couple of months away!"

"Then we will prepare as much as we can in what time we have," Optimus declared firmly. "We have already taken steps to do so. Now we know what we will be up against, and we can adjust ourselves accordingly." He turned to Firestorm. "I believe you, but we still cannot take the risk of allowing you free reign of the base just yet. We have learned not to take chances with our trust. I apologize, but you must remain here, under guard, for the time being."

Firestorm inclined his head towards Optimus. "I understand, Optimus Prime. I cannot blame you for being reluctant to trust me. I will cooperate."

"Thank you," Optimus Prime said, gratitude evident in his deep voice. "You nearly offlined yourself to warn us, and we owe you a debt for such courage."

Firestorm looked away. "Please, Optimus Prime, you owe me nothing. I do not deserve it after what I have done, but I hope that this can help make up for it."

Optimus regarded the old Seeker for a moment. There were still many unanswered questions-such as why Firestorm had joined the Decepticons and what had caused him to vanish for so long-but now was not the time to ask them. He vented wearily, and then turned to Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sam, and Prowl. "I believe we will need to discuss this latest development with our allies. Prowl, if you could inform them of what has happened, I would appreciate it."

Prowl nodded, and then he motioned for Bumblebee and Sam to leave the medbay with him as he went to carry out Optimus's orders.

Bumblebee looked at Firestorm curiously one more time, wondering just what the Seeker's life had been like back during the time of the Dynasty, and then a realization struck him as he watched Firestorm hand something to Optimus while speaking in a low voice that he couldn't make out the words of. _Oh…of course, that's who he reminds me of. A tough old warrior with a kind spark. Obvious._

"I'm still not sure if we should trust him yet," Prowl commented once they had exited the medbay. "Yes, he seemed truthful, but still…"

"I think we can," Sam insisted. "Why would he come all this way and nearly die, just to lie to us?"

"Hmm," was Prowl's response.

_You know,_ Bumblebee added. _I thought Firestorm reminded me of someone, and I didn't realize who until right before we left and I saw him talking to Optimus, but…he's very like…like Ironhide, I think._

"Like Ironhide?" Prowl suddenly looked interested. "Is that right?" He turned to look in the direction of the medbay, a thoughtful expression crossing his faceplates. "That's very interesting. Maybe we _can_ trust him after all."

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime sat in his quarters, looking at the datapads scattered across his desk. Firestorm had given them to him. The Prime had been surprised when the old Seeker had given them to him, especially since he knew just how much the old one treasured history. The fact that Firestorm had willingly entrusted him with such ancient knowledge was a sign of great trust and loyalty him as Prime.<p>

The meeting with their human allies in which the true nature of the threat would be revealed and their plans to deal with it would be refined would be taking place in an hour. Until then, he had something else to do.

Firestorm's words from when he handed the datapads to him back in the medbay replayed in his processor.

"_When you were younger, you once asked me if you could read the ancient history of our world and people. The time has come for you to do so. And those questions that I know you have for me…you will find the answers you seek in them as well. So read, Optimus Prime, and learn."_

He would not be needed for some time yet. He picked up the nearest datapad, activated it, and began to read.


	7. We Need Sacrifices

**A/N**_**:**__ Okay, now that I finished up the two chapters of my other story, I can focus back on this one for the time being. This chapter and the next one will not be nearly as long as the previous two chapters were, however, they WILL bring important plot points into play, and the big action will start soon._

_So, with the big action coming up, I hope you can forgive me for making this chapter and the next one so short compared to the others. You'll like what's coming, I promise!_

_I'm still working with characterizing the 'Cons. I hope I'm getting it right._

_Anyway, enough chitchat from me. Let's get back to the Decepticons._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Six-We Need Sacrifices**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 3,704**

* * *

><p>SALVO WAS RETURNING FROM YET ANOTHER EXCURSION TO the abandoned human mining site. In the days following its discovery, the mining site had been the recipient of many Decepticon visits, each of which led to those Decepticons returning to the main campsite carrying as much of the unrefined Energon as possible. A great deal of the Energon gathered was being consumed by all of the Decepticons living in the camp, but even more of it was being set aside, stockpiled for a reason that Cyclonus had yet to divulge.<p>

Probably something else to do with that slagging plan of his.

Aside from what he had revealed on the day of their first successful Energon find in months, Cyclonus had told neither Salvo or the other Decepticons any more details of the plan, other than that they needed to store as much Energon from every retrieval they did as possible. As a matter of fact, besides the time he had announced the setting aside of Energon, Cyclonus had not emerged from the cave he used as his command center since the day when Salvo and Bullseye first returned from the mines. After the meeting that day, he had withdrawn into the cave to "fine-tune" the portion of the plan he had revealed to them. No one was allowed into the cave, either; Scourge was posted on guard outside its entrance and no Decepticon present-wanting answers or not-was stupid enough to challenge Scourge. Salvo had a feeling that, as Second-in-Command, _he _could have talked his way into the cave, but he didn't want to risk it, just in case.

He had a far better position in the aftermath of the battle in Chicago than any of the other Decepticons, save for Cyclonus and Scourge. No sense it putting that on the line.

And as for what Cyclonus _had_ told him-that they needed to locate and secure Lord Megatron's remains-how exactly were they supposed to do that? The Autobots were the only ones who knew that information. What were they supposed to do? Go to the Autobot base-wherever _that_ was-and ask _pretty please?_ They'd have to fight for it. With the Energon they had found, they had regained their strength, but their current numbers were still too few for an all-out assault. A small strike force _might_ work-go in, grab the information, and get out. Perhaps _that_ was what Cyclonus was debating.

Salvo landed back in the camp, arms full of the latest gathering of Energon. He spared a glance towards the cave, saw that Scourge was still on guard outside, and shrugged, assuming that meant that Cyclonus was still inside doing whatever it was he was doing. The Second-in-Command headed towards the Energon stockpile, depositing what he had gathered with the rest of the unrefined fuel. Later on in the day, he would sort out the rations that the Decepticons would consume, but for now, all of the gathered Energon was to be kept in the same place. The Energon itself was a…what was it those disgusting humans said…a Godsend. With it, even the normally argumentive Bullseye was easier to get along with. For the most part. In the long run, though, he was still a loud-mouthed, irritating slagger with no respect at all.

At least the majority of the in-fighting had stopped…for the moment. Salvo knew that even the Energon could not hold it off forever-the knowledge that there was a plan for revenge in the works was the true reason for the lack of fighting amongst themselves; they were saving it for when they would finally fight the Autobots again. But with no further word about the plan, the Decepticons, while still not fighting, had begun to murmur to each other in their impatience. If Cyclonus didn't announce more details of the plan soon, things would go back to the way they were before.

They were already on edge, because, thanks to Bullseye's rash actions, they'd had to hide for several days from a human search party, that was, in all likelihood, looking for the human the arrogant red mech had killed. The Decepticons had remained in hiding-their existence had to remain a secret for as long as possible, Cyclonus had told them, for the plan to work-for a tense few days while the humans scoured the mountains and valleys in their search. Finally, the searches had ended, and the still-precautionary hiding had stopped as a fog began to envelop the mountains during the day, helping with their secrecy. But those few days hiding from the search parties had only made the Decepticons all the more eager to know more about the plan and to actually set it in motion. They were sick of hiding.

They wanted to kill.

"'Oy, Salvo."

Salvo turned to see Bullseye standing behind him, eying the Energon pile.

"Don't even think about it," Salvo growled, warning evident in his tone.

"Relax, I'm not here for that." The red mech gestured in the direction of Cyclonus's cave. "I was walking by the cave and Scourge told me that Cyclonus wanted to see you right away. You're the only one he's asked to see since going in there. Much too _important_ to deal with us _regular_ Decepticons, I see. You must be very _special_."

Salvo ignored Bullseye's derogatory, sarcastic tone, going straight to business. "Well, then. If Cyclonus wants to see me, I can't keep him waiting." Pointedly ignoring Bullseye's condescending sneer, the black mech turned and began to head towards the cave. Once he was out of the other mech's range of vision, however, he pulled the nearest Decepticon soldier off to one side.

"Keep an optic on Bullseye, but don't let him see you. Don't let him take any of that Energon; if you see him try, stop him, and I don't _care_ how violent you have to get in order to do so. I don't trust him one bit."

The other Decepticon nodded, and Salvo resumed his walk towards the makeshift command center.

At least _some_ Decepticons around here respected his authority.

* * *

><p>As Salvo expected, Scourge didn't say anything to him upon his arrival, merely jerking his head in the direction of the cave entrance. Not surprised in the least by this-Scourge rarely spoke-the Second-in-Command made his way into the cave.<p>

Like most of the Decepticons currently on Earth, Cyclonus and Scourge had not arrived by ship, instead making a hot comet entry after pinpointing the location of the signals emitted by those Decepticons that had managed to survive the battle in Chicago. However, they had taken advantage of the ample interior space they both had in their Cybertronian alt modes, bringing the supplies necessary for having a more or less efficient base-datapads, computer consoles, screens, a stockpile of extra weapons, and power sources-along. They'd set up the equipment inside the cave, utilizing one of the generators to create a dampening field that would mask whatever signals the gear and the Decepticons around gave off. It worked, but Salvo couldn't help but wonder why all the equipment was necessary; most of it wasn't even in use-like the weapons and other such things, even most of the consoles-and it was doing nothing but sitting around in the cave, gathering dust.

_The plan again,_ Salvo thought. _It's always the plan. Must be._

Cyclonus had his back to him, studying the screen of one of the few consoles that was actually up and running, the glow from the screen casting an eerie green light in the cavern. As he approached, Salvo glanced at the screen, taking in what was displayed on it. A map, some pictures of what appeared to be a human military base, and text that told of the location of whatever the pictures depicted.

_Ohio? Must be one of what those humans call "states",_ Salvo mused. _What is so important about Ohio?_ Shaking his head, he spoke up, letting Cyclonus know that he was present. "Sorry for the delay. Bullseye held me up."

"Ah, Salvo," Cyclonus said as he turned to face the other Decepticon. "Just the mech I wanted to see." He then turned back to the console. "It took me a great deal of time, as I did not want to rely on one of our encryption experts until I knew for sure what I was looking for was really there. But, at last, I have managed to break through the encryption surrounding its information and have located the Autobots' temporary base."

"_Temporary_ base?" Salvo questioned, confusion edging into his words and thoughts_. Now why would the Autobots have a temporary base?_

"Yes, temporary," Cyclonus chuckled. "Apparently, the memories of Sentinel's actions haunt their old base so severely that none of them wish to use it any more. For an Autobot, that old Prime sure had the Spark of a Decepticon-what a betrayal! Anyway, the Autobots were taking up residence near Chicago, but when the reconstruction of the city was finished they moved to the Wright-Patterson Air Force base in Dayton, Ohio. It's only meant to be a temporary home for them, though-they have put in a request for land on which to build a new, permanent base, though that request has yet to be granted." He nodded in satisfaction, and then turned to face Salvo once again. "This information was just what I needed to fine tune Phase One of the plan for our return to glory."

"It's ready to be carried out, then?" Salvo couldn't keep the eagerness and relief out of his voice. Finally, they would no longer be idling around doing nothing, and the complainers among the ranks would be silenced by the revelation of what was to be done.

"Yes, but first…" Cyclonus gave him a sly, confidential look. "Tell me about Bullseye."

Salvo didn't even bother trying to hide the disgust in his voice. "What about him? He's an arrogant, disrespectful slagger and I don't trust him for a minute. He doesn't listen to me, he doesn't listen to _you_, and today I believe he was trying to figure out how to take some of the Energon without permission. Not to mention all the times he's nearly given away our position, especially with his most recent killing of that human." He straightened, his voice becoming a low growl. "I detailed another one of our soldiers to keep watch on him, but to take care not to let him know. I found his actions amusing at first, but now I've lost patience with him. I think he's a threat to us."

"And with our current predicament, plan or not, a threat from the inside is something we can't afford," Cyclonus agreed. "And I assure you, Bullseye _will_ be dealt with. But not yet. He still has a…" He chuckled darkly. "_Very_ important part to play in this plan."

"Important enough to let him _live_ when he acts the way he does?" Salvo questioned incredulously. He hardly ever questioned Cyclonus, but this seemed too ridiculous to _not_ question. "What could he possibly offer that outweighs his being a threat?"

"Salvo, surely you don't expect Unicron to give us something for nothing."

The black mech opened his mouth to say something, then abruptly shut it again as Cyclonus's words fully sunk in to his processor, and disbelief spread across his faceplate. He was speechless for a moment, but was finally able to find his voice again, and when he spoke, it was in a hushed undertone.

"_Unicron?_ The Destroyer?"

The current leader of the Decepticons smiled.

Salvo could still hardly bring himself to believe it. "You mean you intend to…the stories…_that's_ what you want us to find Lord Megatron's remains for?"

Cyclonus nodded grimly. "Yes."

Salvo shook his head. "Surely you don't expect him to agree to that! And what right to we have to _dare_ ask him for something like that? He's a _God_! He _destroys_; he doesn't create!"

"He also needs nourishment, doesn't he?" Cyclonus replied. "He's been in stasis for longer than Cybertron itself has existed. Needless to say, he's low on energy. He might be more receptive to what we'll ask of him if we give him something in return. And…" Cyclonus gave a grim smile. "You can't deny that we Cybertronians have energy of our own inside us that could be very useful to a God such as Unicron. It's a risk, and yes, he could very well kill us for daring to approach him with any sort of request in the first place. But look at what we have become, Salvo. What do we have to lose at this point?"

"I see. And if Unicron agrees, then Lord Megatron will be…" Salvo trailed off.

"Yes." Cyclonus nodded. "We'll be back to full strength once again. And then we'll make the Autobots…_and_ their insect army…pay. But first…we need sacrifices."

"And Bullseye is one of them," Salvo said in realization. A slow smile spread on his faceplate. He'd been initially amused by Bullseye, but no longer. He'd been annoying one too many times. This would be a painful end, and Bullseye had been asking for it. "Being consumed by the Destroyer. A fitting end for that aft-brained, disrespectful slagger, I think." He looked back at Cyclonus. "But we'll need more than one, won't we? Who else?"

"Well, that's what the Autobots are for, isn't it?" Cyclonus was looking at the monitor again, this time at a display showing the Milky Way galaxy that extended just beyond the solar system. "I've been keeping watch for any incoming Autobots, and I believe I've found one. We'll be sure to collect him when he arrives."

"The Autobots already here will surely be aware of his approach once he gets closer," Salvo objected. "They'll get to him before we do."

"Oh, trust me, Salvo, they won't. They'll have no idea he's even coming." Cyclonus once again faced the other mech. "You see, there are actually two main parts to Phase One of the plan. The first is to locate where Lord Megatron's remains are being kept."

"And the second?" Salvo questioned curiously.

"The second," Cyclonus continued, "Is to make the Autobot computer network wreck itself so they will be completely blind as to what we are doing." He raised his voice. _"SCOURGE!"_

Within seconds, the large, brutish Decepticon was in the cavern with them, nodding respectfully at Cyclonus.

"Yes?"

Cyclonus waved a hand in the direction of the mouth to the cave. "Go and get Howlback. Tell her to come here at once." Once Scourge was gone again, the purple mech turned back to Salvo.

"We've been helpless for far too long, Salvo. Let's see how the Autobots like a taste of their own medicine."

* * *

><p>The fading sunlight reflected off of her blue and silver armor as the catlike Howlback slid into the cavern, delighted at having been sent for. As one of the smaller Decepticons-which allowed her to escape notice easier than the others-she was currently the espionage expert in the ranks of the surviving Decepticons, and the fact that she had been called to see Cyclonus and Salvo pleased her. Surely this meant she was going to be entrusted with an important part of the plan. Secretly she hoped it would involve being able to kill an Autobot or two. Maybe, if she was lucky, whatever the plan detailed would enable her to encounter that wretched Autobot Youngling, the one who had killed her brothers Ravage and Laserbeak, and murdered her father Soundwave. She growled just thinking about it. Sometime soon, she would make that cursed Youngling pay.<p>

Yes, if Bumblebee met her in battle, she would see to it that he would not escape the encounter alive.

"You sent for me?" She asked as she padded up to sit to attention in front of Cyclonus. Salvo was off to one side, arms folded. He looked both troubled and excited about something, but she dismissed that from her processor at once. She'd learn about it soon enough.

"Yes, Howlback. The time has come for you to learn of Phase One of the plan. Are you ready to put your talents to good use for the Decepticon cause?"

She sat up straighter, her singular red optic gleaming in anticipation. "Always."

"Good." Cyclonus regarded her with approval. "Salvo here is going to head a little excursion to the Autobot base. While he and the others provide an ample distraction, you will sneak inside the base and locate the main Autobot network. From it, you are to download the information considering the location of Lord Megatron's remains. Once you have that, you are to see to it that the network crashes, and crashes to a point that the Autobots will have to take a very long time indeed to fix it."

Even though she was surprised by what it was Cyclonus was ordering her to do, Howlback was careful to hide her emotions, keeping her expression neutral as she thoughtfully considered her assignment before speaking up again. "Difficult. Not exactly something I have done for quite some time. But could you really trust it to any of the other glitch-heads around here…now _THAT_ is the real question."

"Can you do it?" Cyclonus demanded.

With a smirk, Howlback nodded. "Of course."

"Good. Now, choose another member of the espionage unit to accompany you into the Autobot base, to serve as a lookout while you perform your task. Make sure it is someone who is good at being unnoticeable."

"I think Skyjack will be an excellent choice for that," Howlback offered with another smirk. "He's good at following orders and unless he wishes to be seen, he isn't noticed."

"Perfect." Cyclonus nodded. "Now." He turned back to Salvo. "You will choose your party. Make sure you have a few good fighters-go ahead and take Bullseye with you to shut him up for the time being-and pick out a few of the more expendable ones, as well. If we have to run the risk of losing any of our soldiers, we want to have a good selection of those who are worthless for the Autobots to choose from."

"Are we to fight the Autobots, then, at our lower numbers?" Salvo questioned, and Howlback looked to Cyclonus sharply, her tail lashing, as she realized the validity of Salvo's question. As much as she wanted to kill Bumblebee, she knew that attempting to do so at this point in time would just be asking for trouble, especially for a small strike force. They still weren't back to their full strength.

"Yes, but only long enough to distract the Autobots long enough for Howlback to get what we need. Howlback performs her work quickly, which is why I chose her for this, but you will still need to keep the bulk of the Autobot forces away from her and make sure they remain unaware of her presence," Cyclonus explained. "So the fight will not last long. And you forget-the Autobots have not had to deal with any attacks from us for a year. They will not be expecting us, which means we will have the advantage, despite the fact that our strength is not what it once was."

"Are they to kill the Autobots they fight, if possible?" Howlback asked. "It might even the odds."

"No. No killing yet. We are not ready for a strike like that at the moment. Just…rough them up a little." Cyclonus smirked. "Let them know we're still here and we won't forget what they did to us. Just get in there, do your jobs, and get out. Switch to stealth tactics if you have to. But don't worry. The real battle will come later, my friends."

"I hope _sooner_ rather than _later_," Howlback growled, digging her claws into the rock of the cave floor. "I have a score to settle."

"And you _will_ get the chance to settle it," Cyclonus promised. "Now, choose you team, Salvo, and Howlback, you inform Skyjack of his duty. Once you have done so, assemble and meet me at the Pinnacle for your parting orders. With this, we will be one step closer to having our revenge, and getting our rightful power back. Now go."

Howlback headed back out of the cavern with Salvo. Once they were out, she looked up at the larger Decepticon.

"This had better work," She told him, her optic glittering savagely. "I don't like the idea of not killing the Autobots _now_, but if we can do so later, in a proper, non-diversionary battle…"

"We'll make up for it a hundredfold," Salvo finished. Howlback nodded, and, after that shared moment of understanding, they headed off in opposite directions so that they could carry out their orders, each looking forward to the moment when the hiding would be over and done with, and they would finally show themselves to the Autobots again.

It would be a day the Autobots would never forget. Both Howlback and Salvo would make sure of that.

* * *

><p>After Salvo and Howlback had left the cavern to carry out their orders, Cyclonus returned his attention to the monitor, which was still tracking the approaching Autobot. The signal showed that the Autobot, this Cybertronian who had no clue that he was graciously volunteering to help in the Decepticon rise back to power, was still approaching Earth at a steady pace. He would arrive in the span of a little over one Earth week.<p>

Cyclonus smiled with grim satisfaction.

Everything was going according to plan. To _his_ plan. Salvo and Howlback were two of the most trustworthy Decepticons in what was left of their once-proud faction. He had no doubts that they would carry out Phase One and complete with their objectives successfully, with no problems. And once that was done, the other parts of the plan would be carried out as well. Yes, the bit with Unicron _was_ risky, and could end with their destruction, but it was necessary, he knew. It was their best option at this point; they had to take the risk. With _HIS_ help, everything would soon be as it had once been.

The Decepticons would be back in power.

The Autobots would be crushed.

The human insects would be slaughtered.

And Lord Megatron would return!


	8. Duties and Loyalties

**A/N**_**:**__ This chapter mainly consists of what Optimus reads from the datapads Firestorm gave him, but there's more "present day action" towards the end._

_Oh, yeah-the bit about Alpha Trion's true identity comes from the novels Exodus and Exiles. Those books aren't really supposed to tie directly into any one part of this new "aligned continuity" we're getting, but after reading Exiles, I think it's safe to say that they tie completely into the Prime TV series, and nothing else. I'm utilizing bits and pieces of Prime stuff, so I'm adding this as well._

_And Megatronus Prime was the Fallen's name before him became the Fallen._

_Action begins next chapter, so stay tuned!_

_Regarding a review for the last chapter…Laserbeak's death was more of a tag-team between Bumblebee and Sam-Sam got Laserbeak in range of the ship's weapon, and Bumblebee pulled the trigger. Therefore, I think Bumblebee is more responsible for Laserbeak's death than Sam, seeing as how he actually is the one who fired the kill shot. Not to say that Howlback wouldn't be above taking her anger out on Sam, though-she just places the blame for Laserbeak's death solely on Bumblebee because he was the one who pulled the trigger._

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Seven-Duties and Loyalties **

**Rating: T **

**Words: 4,928**

* * *

><p>MY NAME IS FIRESTORM, AND THE FIRST THING I MUST WRITE ABOUT MYSELF <em>is that I am a Seeker.<em>

_I guess that means that I am very important to Cybertron, but I do not feel all that important…it is just a job. A vital one, yes, but it is what I was created to do, so I do not believe that I should think myself overly important, as I am just carrying out my main function. And I am not the only Seeker among the population of our planet, so I am not unique in that regard, either._

_Our planet-Cybertron. As a planet, it is fairly young, even though it is older than I am. But Cybertron was not always a planet. It was once something-no, someone-else entirely, and during that time bore a very different name._

…_I am not permitted to speak of this-to tell that it is the truth- to anyone; it is the wish of the Thirteen that our planet's beginning be regarded as nothing more than a legend, for the time being. I cannot say I blame them for this; things are relatively unstable right now and there is much work to do to care for our home. The general population worrying about a potential, terrible threat that lurks out in the far reaches of the galaxy is something that we do not need right now. But I will write it down, in the hopes that, one day, in the future when life on Cybertron is more stable, others will be able to read this and learn from the past, so that they will be able to defend themselves from what is out there._

_But I am rambling. It is time for me to get to the point._

_We Seekers know the truth of our planet's origin, yes, but the reason we know it because we have an additional vital task to perform in addition to the duty we are publicly responsible for. Every Cybertronian knows that we Seekers travel out into the far reaches of space, searching for suns in uninhabited star systems that we can use to harvest the energy we need to keep our planet alive. It is important to do this, yes, but in reality, our most important task is the one no one knows about, except for the Thirteen-and all of us Seekers, of course._

_And that mission is to keep a vigilant watch for signs that Unicron the Destroyer might possibly be awakening, and returning to our home._

_I know that, by the time this personal log of mine finds its way into the servos of someone else, Unicron will have completely faded into nothing more than a legend, a tale to tell Younglings. It is already happening now, per the requests of the Thirteen, and I know that the story will continue to lose its foundation as truth as time goes by. But Unicron is very real, and very, very dangerous._

_When Primus sealed Unicron into his planet form and banished him to the farthest reaches of the universe, he knew that there was a risk of it being nothing more than a temporary fix. While Unicron was locked in what all hoped would be a permanent stasis, the possibility of him awakening and coming back to finish what he had started was there. That is why Primus created the Matrix of Leadership, using some of his essence-since he and Unicron were polar opposites, Unicron would not be able to stand having the power of the Matrix unleashed on his spark; it would severely damage him and lock him into stasis again, most likely permanently. Killing him outright is beyond anyone's power, unfortunately, except for Primus, and the reason Primus had not done so was because the result of such an absolute unleashing of his own essence onto Unicron would have killed them both. With the Matrix, there was a way to defeat Unicron if he ever returned, without having to sacrifice Primus himself-our home planet of Cybertron. But the problem remained-how would the Thirteen be made aware of him awakening, let alone returning?_

_The solution was simple-us._

_Primus may be locked in planet form now, but he is not as deeply in stasis as Unicron is. He still has some control, and, however briefly, he was able to influence the All-Spark to create life once more. The Seekers-myself included, of course-were the result of this last direct action to assist our lives that Primus was able to do._

_I search for stars to harvest, yes. Myself and all of the others, we travel great distances every stellar cycle to perform our duties. But, as I said before, finding stars for the harvest is not the only duty, or most important one, that we have. When Primus used the All-Spark to create us, not only did he give us a power that had once been only one that he and Unicron possessed-the ability to Transform into alternate shapes-he instilled in us an ability that is both a blessing and a curse._

_We can sense Unicron._

_**I**__ can sense Unicron._

_Do you know what his presence feels like? It is horrible. Simply horrible. It is like being on the edge of a pit of hatred at all times, and if you take one wrong step you will fall in the darkness and never be able to experience happiness again._

_If his presence is this horrible when he is in stasis…I dread to think of what it would feel like if he were awake._

_Fortunately, while I am cursed to always feel that horrible pit that is his presence, it is faint and still. This means that he remains in stasis. I hope that this will always be the case, and that I will never have to feel the full strength of his presence, because that would undoubtedly mean that he has awakened._

_In the meantime, there are stars to find, and, as long as I know that Unicron sleeps, I will search for them and only concern myself with Unicron if I feel his presence stir. That is what I am ordered to do by the Thirteen, and it is my duty to serve the Primes._

_And I know that will never change._

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime sat the datapad he had been reading back onto his desk with a slight frown. What he had just read only served to confuse him even more about Firestorm's motives during the war back on Cybertron. If the old Seeker truly served the Primes, as he had written in his personal logs, then why had he joined the Decepticons?<p>

_That does not add up,_ the Prime thought, picking the datapad back up and reading the last few sentences of the entry once more. _During the war, there were only two Primes on Cybertron-myself and Sentinel-and at the time both of us were firmly on the Autobot side. So why did Firestorm go over to the Decepticons, if he was duty-bound to follow the orders of a Prime? Neither of us ordered him to follow Megatron._

He had thought about it for only a moment when an idea occurred to him. Had Firestorm known about whose side Sentinel was truly on, and was following him? He didn't think so, but he knew that he had to consider the possibility. If that was the case, though, why had Firestorm sought him out? Wouldn't it have made more sense for him to find the Decepticons on Earth, if Firestorm had know that Sentinel was a traitor all along, and he was following his orders to fight on the side of the Decepticons?

It was all so confusing.

Optimus sorted through the datapads and found one that was slightly newer, dated for a time after the war had started, and activated it.

He still had time before the meeting started, and maybe the answers to the questions the reading of the first datapad had created would be found here.

* * *

><p><em>War is upon us. Once we were all Cybertronians, but now, things are only defined by whether you call yourself an Autobot or a Decepticon. The Autobots are noble; the Decepticons are savage. Everyone is taking sides. There are neutrals in some areas, but that will soon, in all likelihood, become rare. The Decepticons do not take "no" for an answer. If you do not join when Megatron asks, you are killed. Most join to avoid this, and others are fleeing to the Autobots for protection. The war is slowly killing Cybertron.<em>

_What a mess._

_I long for the old days when all we had to worry about was finding stars for harvest and keeping watch for Unicron, who has now, as I long ago predicted, faded into nothing more than a legend. _

_Who would have thought that the devastation of our planet would come from the inside, and not the outside as Primus warned us? It is all very horrible, I am afraid. War is never a pretty thing._

_I do not take what I am about to do very lightly. I would rather not be doing it at all; it goes against my values-values that I have set myself by ever since that long ago day when I first came online. I have my orders, though, and I cannot deny them._

_I see no harm in explaining myself here. This log will be in my possession at all times, and only I can change the encryption setting so that others would be able to read it. Here, there is no harm in writing the truth once again._

_Sentinel and Optimus are the leaders of the Autobots. Optimus Prime is young but shows great promise; I have no doubt that he will lead the Autobots to victory. Sentinel Prime is older and wiser, but he is beginning to take less action, allowing Optimus to take charge as the main leader. There…there is something about Sentinel that I do not like, but I cannot figure out what. Something about him strikes me as being…off, for lack of a better term. Something about him also reminds me eerily of Megatronus, before he…but that is not important._

_What is important is the fact that, while they believe themselves to be the only Primes left on Cybertron, they are both mistaken. There is one more. Over the stellar cycles, he has become more than just a Prime to me. He is a great friend now, but that does not change who he once was. Who he is._

_For you see, one of the Thirteen survives._

_Alpha Trion._

_I went to see him just a few solar cycles ago, and it was he who gave me the task I am reluctant, but duty-bound, to perform._

"_Things are getting worse," I told him as I entered his office in the Hall of Records. "Very soon now, the war will come here. I do not think that there will be any way to avoid it."_

"_Yes. The Autobots will fall back to Iacon, and the Decepticons will follow. And once they arrive, I will offer my assistance to the Autobots as they need it." He looked evenly at me. "And what do you plan on doing, Firestorm, when the Autobots arrive here?"_

_My answer was immediate. "I will join them as well. I side with the Primes. You know this."_

"_Hmm." He drummed his servos on the table briefly before he spoke again. "As to that, Firestorm, I believe that your skills will be better utilized among the Decepticons for the time being."_

_I could not believe what I was hearing, and I stared at Alpha Trion in disbelief. "What? No! I cannot do that! You know what the Decepticons believe, what they do, what they are capable of…I could never bring myself to that." I shook my head frantically. "Never. My values, my beliefs-I share those with the Autobots!"_

"_That is exactly why you must join the Decepticons, Firestorm. You have said it yourself; you have strong, decent values, and you pre-war reputation gives you the position of someone that can be turned to for advice; you were and still are someone whose opinion carries importance. On the side of the Decepticons, you would be able to use this influence to possibly prevent some of what they plan to do."_

"_You honestly think that I can prevent the Decepticons-prevent __**Megatron**__-from evoking further unnecessary harm? Optimus has the same values and respected standing. He tried the same, and failed." His plan was becoming clear, but I still failed to see how it would work. I shook my head firmly. "Megatron listens to no one besides himself."_

"_He may listen to you. You are older and have more experience than Optimus Prime," Alpha Trion told me. "Even Megatron respected you in your old role."_

"_Those days are long gone, judging by the look of things," I responded bitterly. "I do not think Megatron is capable of respect or reason anymore. He will not listen to Optimus-his own __**brother**__! I highly doubt he will listen to me."_

"_You must try."_

"_The Autobots are severely outmatched in flight combat," I argued. "They will have need of my strength and maneuverability in the air. I am old but I can still help in that regard."_

_He leaned across his desk towards me. "Firestorm. I do not like it, and I know that you do not like it, but it is necessary that you do this. I am not aware of what the results will be. But there is one thing I clearly know- you must join the Decepticons. I can see that it will, in some way, serve the greater good."_

_I wilted. "I cannot." My voice faltered. "Please, I cannot." I knew denying it was useless. Alpha Trion knew things that no one else could even begin to understand; it was the ability that had identified him amongst the other members of the Thirteen. There was a greater purpose to be served here. And to serve it, I was to be a Decepticon. But the idea horrified me. _

_He looked evenly back at me. "Firestorm, are you still loyal to the Primes?"_

_I held my head up again. At least I was certain of one thing. "Yes."_

"_I am your friend, Firestorm. But I am also a Prime, and I wish that you do this."_

_I hesitated. I still did not want any part of this. But…"Are you certain it is the only way forward for me?"_

"_Yes. It will give you a purpose that will drive you forward later on…but I do not know what that purpose may be at the moment."_

"_I will have to fight."_

"_Yes."_

"_Maybe…maybe even kill."_

"_It is a possibility."_

"_I am not a killer of the innocent." Desperate pleading entered my voice once again. "I do not want to become one. If I fight for the Decepticons…I might have to. I do not think I can do such a thing." _

"_You may not have to. There are other ways. You may still have to fight, but you should be able to avoid killing anyone. You could oversee those unfortunate Autobots that are captured and prevent their suffering."_

_My optics brightened. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. "An interrogator? I am good at persuasion, and I do not have to cause harm to get answers, unlike some of those thugs in the Decepticon ranks."_

"_If that is what you think you can achieve, than do so. But you must leave before the war comes here."_

"_I am afraid I still do not understand. But I will do as you ask."_

_He nodded at me. "Go, Firestorm. When we next meet, it will be as enemies."_

_I shook my head. "Then I hope we do not meet again, sir."_

_I left after that. I am afraid that I am still greatly troubled by what I am duty-bound out of loyalty to the orders of the Thirteen to do, but if Alpha Trion believes that, in some way, it will serve the greater good, I must do it, regardless of how much the idea of becoming a Decepticon sickens me._

_Tomorrow I will fly out to meet Megatron and pledge myself to the Decepticon cause. I will try my best to prevent him from causing any further unnecessary harm, but I do not know if I will succeed._

_The last surviving member of the Thirteen has faith in me, but I wish I could have faith in myself._

_But war is terrible, and things are never easy._

_Never._

* * *

><p>For a long moment after he finished reading the entry, Optimus Prime stared unseeingly at the datapad he held.<p>

Alpha Trion-the old Cybertronian he had been a page for in the Iacon Hall of Records so long ago, when he had been nothing more than a Youngling named Orion Pax- had been a _Prime_? No, not just a Prime, but a member of the _Thirteen_?

After the initial shock wore off, Optimus realized that, in some way, he had _always_ known the Alpha Trion had been a Prime. It had never been at the forefront of his thoughts, but now that he had read it, he realized that yes, he had always known.

And now, it had made even more sense the way Alpha Trion had sacrificed himself to buy the Autobots enough time to evacuate Iacon when the city fell to the Decepticons; it had been something that no one had thought the old Cybertronian capable of-single-handedly holding off the Decepticons while the other Autobots got to safety. It was the way of the Primes to do so to help those in need. Optimus had even done so himself, although he had been fortunate enough to return.

So, Alpha Trion was a Prime. And as for Firestorm…

He had only joined the Decepticons because Alpha Trion had told him to do so. Optimus wondered what it was that Alpha Trion had known Firestorm would gain from the Decepticons. He wished _he_ knew what it was. Was joining the Decepticons the only thing that would have brought Firestorm to Earth to warn the Autobots about Unicron? No. Optimus knew Firestorm would have done so even if he had fought on the Autobots' side from the very beginning. Alpha Trion had to have known something else. But what that something was…Optimus couldn't even begin to guess.

If the words he had read were true, then all doubts about whether or not Firestorm could be trusted could finally be cast aside. He had been a Decepticon in name only, and his actions proved that.

There was a very long gap in-between the entry he had just finished reading and the next one. Noting the date-a few cycles after the slaughter at the Youth Sectors-he read on. Finally, he would learn why Firestorm had disappeared.

* * *

><p><em>I have failed.<em>

_Alpha Trion was convinced I could prevent harm like this. He trusted me. A Prime, a member of the Thirteen, trusted me, and I failed._

_When Megatron revealed his plan to attack the Youth Sectors some cycles back, I protested. I told him that it would be unwise to kill the future generations of Cybertron, using the argument that they could be potential Decepticons, to get him to see whatever reason I possibly could. I know the reason he wanted to carry out such a horrid plan was because the risk of the Younglings at the Youth Sectors becoming Autobots was too great. Nearly all of the creators of the Hatchlings, Sparklings, and Younglings there WERE Autobots. Yes, there was the odd neutral or two among them, but for the most part, they were all Autobots. I knew it was important to keep Megatron away from them-they were innocent. They did not deserve to be killed._

_Megatron was adamant about carrying out this…this slaughter, but I kept up my argument that it would be unwise. There were others who sided with me-younger Decepticons, recently graduates from the Sectors themselves, who still had friends there. Finally, Megatron agreed to call it off. Trusting old fool that I was, I believed him._

_I should have known something was off when, a few cycles after he had agreed to not carry out the attack, Megatron sent me off with a few of the other flight-capable Decepticons to do a routine patrol. I did not normally go on patrols. I was an interrogator and a soldier, not a scout. I should have realized something was wrong. Should have, but did not. _

_It was not until one of the scouts accompanying me remarked that it was odd that Megatron had sent all of us who had argued against the attack on the Youth Sectors on a patrol together, that I realized just what was going on. It hit all of us at the same time, and without a word to each other we turned around and raced in the direction of the Youth Sectors. I prayed fervently to Primus that we would get there in time. But Primus was not on our side that day._

_We were too late._

_I will not write down exactly what we found, what we saw had become of those living there, when we arrived at the Youth Sectors. Those images will be my own private horrors for as long as I live, my own reminder of my failure. Megatron had done his work quickly, and there were no Decepticons there when we arrived, but the Autobots were already there, trying to find survivors amidst the rubble of the buildings. They saw us as soon as we arrived and immediately opened fire. They blamed us, even though we were not responsible, and to be honest…I do not blame them one bit for assuming such a thing. I wanted to stay and help the Autobots, but the angry, grief-stricken weapons fire they were sending our way was too intense for us to land. We had no choice but to leave._

_Never before in my life had I been truly angry. I realized that as we made our way back to the Decepticon base of operations. But I was angry then-at Megatron, at myself-and I had every intention of confronting Megatron about what had happened._

_Again, I was a fool._

_I did confront Megatron, with those who had agreed with me alongside, every bit as angry with the Decepticon leader as I was. Megatron was not afraid, though, and we should have been. He told us that it was a shame we had figured out the true reason he had sent us on the patrol, and now that we had, with the anger we were foolish enough to direct towards him. Megatron ordered his loyal followers to cut us down. I tried my best to defend the younger scouts, but there were too many, and even with my size I was overwhelmed. Most of the younger ones never stood a chance, but two of them were able to avoid getting hit. I tried to get to Megatron, but could not, he was using his own soldiers as shields and I could not get even remotely close to him. I am ashamed of this, but I again had no choice. I fled. I used my fire bombs as cover and fled. The two surviving young scouts came with me._

_My younger companions had stood with me, and Megatron had killed most of them. I had been unable to prevent the slaughter of all the Hatchlings, Sparklings, Younglings, and their caretakers. The entire point of my joining the Decepticons was to prevent harm like this, and instead I had been unable to stop it._

_I got us as far away from the other Decepticons as I could. I knew that none of us could go back. We had tried to attack Megatron, and he would no doubt have marked the three of us for death as a result. But, as the leader of those who had challenged Megatron's orders, I was the one who would no doubt feel the full wrath of his anger. The young ones were in danger as long as they stayed with me, and that would not change if the three of us remained together. I sent them to live with some neutrals I had known before the war had started, and was fortunate enough to still have the friendship of. They were heading off-planet, so I knew that the young ones would be safe._

_I cannot go back to the Decepticons. And I cannot bring myself to go to the Autobots. I failed, and I know I cannot face Alpha Trion again. I am still loyal to the Primes, yes, but I failed in the duty that he charged me with and so I know I no longer deserve his friendship…or to ask for his forgiveness. So I will disappear. I will go underground, and busy myself with the task I once had-preserving the history of our planet. After my failure, I know that this is the one thing I am good at. I will record my own mistakes as well, so that not only will I learn from my own failures, other may, in some distant time when the war ends._

_If there will be anyone left to read the history when the war ends. The Hatchlings, Sparklings, and Younglings were all killed. Entire generations, simply wiped out. It might be that the only thing that ends this war will be the death of our race._

_That is what I used to believe._

_Recently, you see, I have come across a faint hope. It has been cycles after I fled from the Decepticons, and I have heard that some Younglings survived the attack on the Youth Sectors and are now training safely with the Autobots. I pray it is not a rumor. I pray that it is the truth._

_The young are our future, and, with them, we will never lose hope._

_Because, without hope, we are nothing._

* * *

><p>A hesitant knock on the door of his quarters brought Optimus Prime's attention away from his reading and back into the present. He deactivated the datapad and placed it back onto his desk, taking note that it was almost time for the meeting they had scheduled to discuss their updated plan of defense with their human allies. Reading the datapads had passed the time much more quickly than he had expected. Not all of his questions had been answered, but now Optimus was now more certain than ever that Firestorm could be trusted. Perhaps the first step in getting the others to come to the same conclusion was to have Firestorm present at the meeting.<p>

"Come in," the Prime said, looking up at the door as another hesitant knock came. Optimus recognized the knock, and he switched his comm-which had been off so his reading would not be disturbed-back on.

The door opened, and Bumblebee edged in. The Youngling glanced at the datapads scattered on the desk, his optics bright with curiosity, before turning to face the Prime. _Sir, everyone's in the main hangar, ready to start the meeting. Ratchet was going to comm you but then he realized you'd be reading and probably had your comm off, so I offered to come and tell you instead, and he said to go ahead and do it, and he also said that we'd better hurry up with the meeting, because the Sparklings are all in recharge and we should try to get it finished before they wake up._

Optimus stood, favoring the young Autobot with a slight smile. "Thank you, Bumblebee. Ratchet was right. I _did_ have my comm switched off."

_Ratchet also wanted me to ask if Firestorm should be present at the meeting,_ Bumblebee continued. _Since he's the one who really knows all the details of the…the problem._

"Ratchet is right. I also came to that conclusion myself. Firestorm _should_ be there." Optimus contacted the medic immediately. _Ratchet?_

_Yes, Prime?_ The medic responded quickly.

_Bring Firestorm to the main hangar. He needs to be present at this meeting as well._

_Under guard, of course,_ Ratchet replied promptly.

_Yes, under guard,_ Optimus told the medic. _But I believe more and more that he is not a threat. Still, it makes the humans seem more at ease for the time being. Bumblebee and I will be there shortly._ He returned his attention to Bumblebee as he ended his comm with Ratchet. "Bumblebee, let's go."

_Sir, what were you reading?_ Bumblebee asked curiously as he left the room with Optimus.

"Some of the datapads that Firestorm gave to me," Optimus replied. "The ones I read were some of his personal logs. They had some history of early Cybertron, and they answered some of the questions we had about him. I believe his trustworthiness is no longer an issue."

_Can I read them sometime, sir?_ Bumblebee asked hopefully.

It did not escape Optimus's notice that Bumblebee's request to read the datapads mirrored the one he had asked Firestorm long ago when he had been a Youngling himself, asking the same thing. Despite the serious nature of the oncoming meeting, Optimus welcomed the amusement he felt at Bumblebee unknowingly rewording his old request to Firestorm, and the Prime allowed himself another slight smile at the younger Autobot as they made their way to the main hangar.

His answer was the same one that Firestorm had given him on that long-ago day.

"Maybe someday, Bumblebee. Maybe someday."


	9. First Strike

**A/N**_**:**__ This is it. Time for the action to start proper._

_Keeping this short so you can get more action, but there's one thing you need to know._

_In the DOTM novel, Skids and Mudflap are killed by Sentinel shortly after he kills Ironhide. This is based more on the movie events instead of the novel, but I am taking some of the DOTM prequel comic events into account. In this story continuity, Skids and Mudflap were killed by Shockwave on Diego Garcia. It explains for their absence a bit better, I think, than to just have them gone for no reason. The bit about Arcee being missing comes from the prequel comics, too._

_Now, enough of a delay. On to the action!_

_**UPDATE: This chapter has been revised yet again, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Eight-First Strike **

**Rating: T **

**Words: 10,283**

* * *

><p>FROM THE PINNACLE, CYCLONUS LOOKED OVER THE DECEPTICON SOLDIERS that Salvo had chosen to accompany himself and Howlback on the mission they had been assigned. While the current leader of the Decepticons didn't know the names of the majority of them, he could tell just by looking at them that they were fierce fighters-killers all. Well, except for a few of them, but that was to be expected-he <em>had<em> asked for Salvo to take along a few of the expendable soldiers, after all. He glanced over at the black-armored Decepticon.

"Not too bad, considering the limited numbers we have to work with. Excellent choice on all of them, especially the soldiers with actual talent," He remarked in approval.

"Even though they were disappointed to learn that killing the Autobots won't be a part of this mission, they were all very eager to be chosen," Salvo remarked. "They're glad to finally be doing something that will give the Autobots trouble after nothing but hiding for so long."

"It's been enough to make any Decepticon go insane," Howlback growled in agreement from where she stood next to Salvo. "Not doing anything against the Autobots for the length of one of this planet's years. But now we finally are going to change that."

"Exactly." Cyclonus looked over the chosen party once more, and then stepped forward to speak.

"The time has come to begin Phase One."

The gathered Decepticons fell silent. For once, there was no bickering-they were united in their eagerness to learn what their tasks would be, and in the knowledge that they would finally be allowed to fight against the Autobots again. The disappointment over knowing that there would be no killing involved was there, yes, but being able to fight at all was something they were looking forward to.

"You are all known for your fighting." He nodded at the soldiers Salvo had picked out, and then at Skyjack. "And your espionage skills. As a result of your excellent abilities, you have been chosen to accompany Salvo and Howlback on an important mission to the Autobot base."

An excited murmur ran through the assembled Decepticons briefly before they all fell silent once again. Inwardly, Cyclonus smirked. In the case of most of the soldiers, the words he spoke were true. But for those few little ones off to the side-the expendable ones, as they were called-it was nothing but baseless, meaningless flattery. Empty words, pure and simple, but they did not need to know that, and, judging by the looks on their faceplates, none of them had figured that out either.

Flattery had its uses, though, and Cyclonus knew that it would make the chosen Decepticons work hard to prove that each was the better fighter, which would, in turn, contribute to the success of the mission.

It was so easy to take advantage of pride.

"Those of you who will be assisting Salvo are to fight the Autobots at their base-both Salvo and Howlback know where it is located, so follow them closely once you all leave," Cyclonus continued. "However, your first task will not be the base attack. First, you are to scout out an appropriate location to use as a base of operations. Once the mission is complete, you will need a place to fall back to, so it is important that you find a base location first. Once this is done, proceed to the Autobot base."

Cyclonus paused and looked back over the assembled Deceptions. "I am sorry to say, but there can be no killing of the Autobots yet. Just have a little bit of fun with them. Keep them distracted while Skyjack and Howlback sneak into their base. Do not stop the fight until those two return from their mission successfully. Skyjack," Cyclonus addressed the other espionage agent now. "Your job is to stand guard while Howlback downloads the information we need from the Autobot computer network. When she is finished with that and has made the system crash, get out of there as fast as you can. Once you have all completed your tasks, get away from the Autobots. Take care that they do not track you down, so be sure to use the signal dampeners I will send with you at all times. However, there is one more thing you must do before Phase One is _truly_ complete."

"And what exactly is that?" Bullseye called out impatiently from the Decepticons gathered in front of the Pinnacle.

"Shut up for once in your life and you'll find out," Salvo growled. The black-armored mech seethed with annoyance. He was looking forward to the day when Bullseye would finally outlive his usefulness and meet the violent end Cyclonus had planned for him.

Bullseye narrowed his optics at Salvo's harsh command, but before he could speak up again, Cyclonus resumed his speech to the others.

"I have been tracking the signal of an incoming Autobot for the past few days. I do not believe any of the Autobots on Earth are aware of this, as I have detected no transmissions to or from the Autobot traveling towards the planet. I believe he will arrive near the location of the Autobot base on the same day you will all arrive and carry out your mission, but the time schedule for the attack I have given you will allow enough time for Howlback to get the network down before the Autobots are made aware of his planetfall. When you return to the base you have selected, you need to collect this Autobot; do not kill him, though. We need him alive. Imprison him inside your base as best as you can and take care to not let him escape."

"We can rough him up a little, though, right?" Bullseye spoke up again.

"If you have to in order to capture him, go ahead and do so," Cyclonus said with a nod. "But take care not to damage him too badly. Contact me once everything is done. Do you all understand what you are to do?"

A collective nod from the assembled Decepticons was the answer. Cyclonus smirked in satisfaction.

"Good. Carry out your tasks, and, once it's all said and done and put into action with the remainder of the plan, we'll get our power back. Do this, and the slaughter of the Autobots will finally be able to begin. As your leader, I promise you this. Go now!"

* * *

><p>As he was escorted from the medbay by both Ratchet and the silver Autobot whose name he now knew was Sideswipe, Firestorm couldn't help glancing around in fascination at the construct of the building he was in. It was obviously not built by the Autobots, but there were also obvious modifications in place to make it a suitable dwelling for them. The Autobots seemed uneasy about his looking around, but Firestorm couldn't help it. He'd had no idea that this was what the humans were capable of building.<p>

_So this is a human construct? _The old Decepticon thought, glancing up at the ceiling that, while not too far above himself, stretched way over the heads of the Autobots and their human companions. Despite being built for such a small race, it was easily large enough for Cybertronians to move about in comfortably. _I wonder what the humans use it for, for it to have so much space inside, and such a high ceiling. It was obviously here long before the Autobots came. That much I am able to tell. Hmm._

"In here," Sideswipe told him, gesturing at the entrance to yet another large hangar. "And remember, if you make one wrong move, or if you even look at the humans the wrong way, you'll regret it."

"I have no intention of causing harm to anyone," Firestorm vented wearily. Both Ratchet and Sideswipe's earlier words-about not trusting blindly due to a recent betrayal by someone they trusted-had proved true time and again since his awakening. While a few of the Autobots were tolerant of him-Optimus Prime seemed to be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, the Youngling they had called Bumblebee appeared openly curious and trusting (then again, he was a Youngling and Firestorm knew Younglings were like that), and even Ratchet was beginning to trust him a little-the other Autobots he had met as they had served guard duty over him in the medbay-Sideswipe's brother, Sunstreaker, Prowl, and Red Alert, to name a few-still seemed mostly suspicious of him. Sideswipe in particular seemed to be really hostile towards him, but he couldn't figure out exactly why.

The Autobots were taking very strict measures concerning security with him-he wasn't allowed to leave the medbay without permission, had a guard present with him at all times, and, aside from when he had been allowed to use it to download the Earth language packets, he was forbidden to access the Autobot computer network. He knew it was all precautionary after the betrayal they had mentioned they had experienced, and, even though he knew he didn't deserve their forgiveness or trust after the things he had failed to prevent while he had been in the Decepticon ranks, it still stung that they weren't even willing to give him even a little benefit of the doubt. Firestorm made a mental note to ask Optimus the reason for their reluctance to give him a chance. He would like to know right then, but this meeting was more important. It was the humans'-and Autobots', now, as well- planet that was in danger, and their questions must be taken care of first.

Answers to his own questions could wait until after the important matters were dealt with, and so he entered the hangar without voicing them, even though he wanted to.

Ratchet and Sideswipe entered with him, escorting him over to the area of the hangar where the other Autobots could be seen waiting alongside some of their human allies. The looks he received from both the Autobots present and their human allies were a mixture of suspicion and…nervousness, maybe. It was hard to tell.

While he recognized some of the older Autobots-those who had been on the field before he had withdrawn from the conflict and gone underground-there were several there that he did not know. In addition to the Autobots he had already met since awakening in the medbay, the only other one he recognized was Silverbolt-as one of the few Autobots capable of flight, he was well-known, even among the Decepticons. The rest, however-a red-armored mech with blades on his arms, two small mechs with blue armor, and a small black-armored mech who had a draconian appearance-he had never seen before. Silverbolt and the red-armored mech were watching him suspiciously, but the three smaller ones were glancing at him with wary interest.

Firestorm had only met one of the humans so far-the boy named Sam that was the Youngling Bumblebee's companion-and he had been surprised that the Autobots had even let him be near a human in the first place. With only a few humans-he noted that Sam was among them-alongside the Autobots in the hangar, Firestorm could clearly see that he was still not trusted enough to be around them entirely. If he had been, he knew there would be more humans present, and Firestorm knew that the only reason there were going to be humans involved in this meeting at all was because what he had told the Autobots concerned them as well. If it hadn't…well, he probably wouldn't have seen an actual human for a very long time; he knew how protective the Autobots were of their companions.

As he came to a stop in front of the gathering of humans and Autobots, Firestorm felt every eye and optic in the hangar focus on him. The suspicion in their combined gazes made him feel more than a little uncomfortable, but he knew they were well within their rights to view him that way, no matter how uneasy it made him.

To Firestorm's relief, just when the silence and the stares were beginning to be a little too much, Optimus Prime stepped away from the rest of the Autobots to stand next to him. The Prime turned to address the gathering of his allies.

"As you are all aware, three days ago, Firestorm arrived in a forest clearing not too far from here. Bumblebee was present at his time of arrival and contacted us to come and assist him. Firestorm was able to impart to Bumblebee a warning before he went into stasis. While we did not know the meaning behind this warning, we took precautions against whatever it might imply. Now, Firestorm has told us the truth behind this threat, and I have asked him here so that he may share what he said to those who were not present at the time."

Optimus turned to Firestorm. "Firestorm, if you would, please share what you told us earlier with everyone here."

Firestorm nodded. "Yes, I will. But I ask all of you to wait until I am completely finished with my explanation before you ask me any questions, please. Is that alright?" He made sure that it was obvious that his last question was addressed to all those present, human and Autobot alike.

The majority of the assembled Autobots shifted uneasily; it was obvious they wanted their questions answered right then, but Optimus Prime stopped them with a pointed look. The humans present looked at each other before turning to look at Firestorm again and nodding.

Optimus inclined his head towards the old Decepticon. "Go on, Firestorm."

"Yes, Optimus Prime," Firestorm replied respectfully. He vented slowly, and then once again began his explanation.

* * *

><p>Once the old Decepticon had finished his explanation for the second time that day, an uneasy silence once again filled the hangar. The Autobots who hadn't heard the truth behind Firestorm's warning were torn between disbelief and horror at what they heard, and those who had been present for the first telling found what Firestorm had said to be just as unsettling as the first time they had heard it. Optimus Prime himself still found it hard to believe that the legend of Unicron was true, but what he had read earlier, along with what he had known about Firestorm previously, made him inclined to believe the old Decepticon's words as the truth.<p>

Firestorm had fallen silent as well, obviously waiting for the slew of questions he knew were to come from the humans and the Autobots.

Mirage was the first to break the silence. "So, you're telling us that Unicron is _real _and that he's on his way here right now?"

Firestorm nodded. "Yes. I know it is hard to believe, but it is the truth."

"Hard to believe?" Sunstreaker snorted derisively. "Try _impossible_."

One of the human soldiers present barely suppressed a snicker. "You guys are pretty hard to believe, but here you are," he told them, looking up at the Autobots. "I think that a planet-sized one of you is pushing it, as far as believability goes, though."

"We are hard to believe, from the human point of view, as you said," Ratchet told the human soldier, frowning slightly. "And yet that does not change the fact that we _are_ real. Unicron is unbelievable, yes. But that does not mean that he can't also be real. He may be as real as we are."

To everyone's surprise, Prowl spoke up next, coming to the defense of the old Decepticon. "Nothing is impossible. I find it hard to believe as well, but if there is any chance that Unicron _is_ real and _is_ coming here, wouldn't it be logical for us to take this seriously?"

"Prowl is right," Optimus agreed firmly. "Just as when we did not know the details of your warning, Firestorm, it would be foolish of us to not take you seriously now. If we dismiss what you tell us, and it turns out to be true after all, the results will be too terrible to even think about."

Firestorm nodded. "Yes. This planet-and everyone on it-will meet a terrible fate if you do not act."

"Excuse me!"

Firestorm and Optimus Prime focused their attention on the platform where Will Lennox and Director Mearing were. It was Mearing who had spoken. Her attention was focused squarely on Firestorm, and she looked suspicious and aggravated. Firestorm blinked at her.

"Yes?"

"You're a Decepticon-the insignia you wear clearly marks you as one. Decepticons are known for being liars, backstabbers, and violent fighters who deceive at any chance that they get-we've seen proof of that during all the suffering we've had as a result of Decepticon actions. Why should we believe anything _you_ say?"

Optimus looked sharply at Firestorm. The old Decepticon's reaction would help to determine what his motives truly were. Optimus remembered Sentinel's reaction from when Mearing had confronted him in nearly the same way-he had been aggravated and hadn't taken the human's considerations into thought (which, now that Optimus thought about it, had reflected his true nature, even though no one present at the time had picked up on it)-and waited to see if Firestorm would react similarly, or if he would take the human's worries into account.

The old Decepticon honestly seemed taken aback. He blinked in surprise at the directness of her question, and then paused, thinking it over carefully before turning his head towards Optimus once again.

"So…you made allies with these humans?" he questioned. At Optimus's nod, the old Decepticon chuckled slightly. It was not meant to be derogatory towards the Autobots' relationship with the humans; it was quite the opposite. Firestorm seemed impressed. "I can see why," he continued. "They may be small, but they have spirit. I have no doubt that they are fierce fighters and good allies." Firestorm returned his attention to Mearing, who seemed just as surprised by his reaction to her question as he had been by her asking it in the first place. "If I may ask…what is your name, human?"

The surprise was really evident on her face now. "Charlotte Mearing. But you may call me Director Mearing."

Firestorm inclined his head towards her. "You ask a valid question, Director Mearing. As for why you should believe me…I leave it up to you whether or not you will take my words as being the truth. But no one forced me to come and warn you. I did it of my own accord."

"He's right," Will agreed. "No one forced him to tell us."

"I said this before," Sam spoke up next, from where he was standing next to Bumblebee and Carly. "But Firestorm nearly killed himself getting here. Why would he risk dying only to lie to us?"

Another silence followed as everyone present thought over what Firestorm had just told them. The truth behind what Will and Sam had said concerning the old Decepticon's words could not be denied. No one had forced Firestorm to seek them out, and, plotting something or not, no Decepticon would have risked _offlining_ just to _lie_ to the Autobots. In light of this knowledge, there was only one possible conclusion.

Firestorm _was_ telling the truth, and they were facing the arrival of an enemy the likes of which they had never even imagined.

The prospect was terrifying.

Will spoke up again, this time directing his words straight at Optimus Prime. "This won't be a fight we can help you with, will it?"

Optimus wished that the humans would have been able to offer their assistance. Their two races had come to rely on each other, and there was a mutual trust and respect between them. However, this was far too dangerous. And in the matter of how this battle would have to be fought, there was no way that the humans could possibly assist them. The Prime shook his head. "No, Colonel, it will not." His next words were heavy with regret. "Due to the nature of this enemy, the upcoming battle would be better served out in space, as far away from Earth as we can allow. As much as we appreciate the help you have given us before, you humans do not yet have the ability to assist us here, and, even though it would be possible for you to accompany us on our spacecraft, this fight will be too dangerous. We Autobots will be hard-pressed to stand up to Unicron. I am afraid that you would not stand as much of a chance against him as we would."

"So there's nothing we can do to help you guys? Nothing at all?" Sam asked, fear and worry edging into his voice. "You're going to be completely on your own?" This was going to be dangerous, really dangerous. He'd helped the Autobots in all of their battles on Earth before, and now, knowing that there was no way he'd be able to help Bumblebee if things went wrong…it terrified him, in the same way he'd been terrified when he thought Bumblebee was going to be killed in Chicago. Only this time, he'd not even be able to even _see_, let alone _know_, what was happening to his friend.

Bumblebee realized immediately what Sam was thinking and warbled soothingly at his friend. The young Autobot was scared, too-Unicron was a thing of nightmares, and now he knew that nightmare was real, and was going to come into a position where it could harm his family. If Unicron came to Earth, Sam, Carly, Blaster, Wheelie, and Brains would…he shook his head. He shouldn't think about that. Bumblebee looked up at Optimus worriedly, and the confidence radiating from the Prime served to calm the Youngling somewhat.

"There is always something that you can do, Sam," Optimus told the young human. His voice was firm but kind, and, looking up, he directed his words at all of the humans present. "There is always something that can be done. You can continue to support us. You might not be able to help us when the day for this battle comes, but the knowledge that you are supporting what we will be doing is enough."

"And we can still help you train, in whatever way we can," Will offered.

"Yes. Thank you." Optimus nodded. "We only have a few of your months to prepare for this battle. Firestorm informed us that Unicron will arrive on the fringes of the Solar System on the date of the next Solar Eclipse. I believe that it would be best for us to meet him in battle when he arrives there-that way he will never get close enough to Earth to cause harm to it while we are fighting him. This gives us until November to finalize our training and battle plan."

"There's a lot to be done," Mearing said then. "If you need extra resources, I'll see what I can do."

"And…if you will let me," Firestorm spoke up hesitantly. "I will help you. I know you still do not trust me completely and I do not blame you for that, but I will help if you need it."

"Thank you," Optimus Prime told the old Decepticon. While he no longer had any doubts about Firestorm's trustworthiness, he could still see the suspicion in the optics of some the Autobots and the eyes of some of the humans, and he knew he still had to make them feel at ease until they, too, came to trust the old Cybertronian. "You will continue to remain in the medbay under guard for now. But if and when we need your help, I will let you know."

Firestorm nodded. "I understand. I will do what you say."

"When the fight in Chicago was over," Optimus Prime continued, now addressing everyone present once again, "I promised that we Autobots would never forsake this planet or its people. That promise still stands. Earth is our home now, too, and you are our allies and close friends. We will fight to protect you and our shared home. I promise you that when the day of this battle comes, we will not rest until Unicron is defeated and no longer poses a threat to Earth and those who live here."

The Prime looked over all those present once again.

"You have helped us ever since we first arrived on this planet. You have given us a home. And now, we will ensure that it stays safe. Autobots keep their promises. And we will keep this one. You can have no doubts about that."

* * *

><p>As the Autobots continued to discuss and revise their plans for the upcoming fight with Unicron, time passed fairly quickly. It was early evening by the time the meeting had drawn to a close, with the humans once again promising to offer the Autobots whatever support they could and Optimus Prime stating once more that the Autobots would protect Earth and humanity from the dangers Unicron presented. As the Autobots and humans went back to their duties, Firestorm was escorted back to the medbay by Sideswipe and Ratchet. Optimus went to check on Trailbreaker, and, after making sure that he and the other Sparklings-they were all out of their recharge now-were safely back in their play area, the Prime headed to the medbay to speak with Firestorm once more.<p>

He arrived in time to see Prowl take over the guard from Sideswipe. To his surprise, he saw that Firestorm and Ratchet were in a discussion that was about the medical field.

"Once everything is settled down and Unicron is taken care of, I think I would like to study in the medical field," Firestorm was saying to Ratchet as Optimus entered the medbay. "I studied a little of it when I was younger, and it interested me, but I had other duties at the time and could not go much further than reading about it, and after that I became an archivist, so I was able to read more even if I was not able to actually come to full understanding of it. I would like to learn more, though, so that I can help instead of harm."

"Studying to become a medic is hard work," Ratchet told Firestorm solemnly. "But, if you want to, we can…" The medic trailed off when he noticed Optimus Prime standing nearby. "Optimus."

Firestorm turned to face Optimus, surprise showing on his faceplate at the Prime's presence. "Optimus Prime? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Optimus assured the old Decepticon. "Firestorm, I know that ever since you came out of stasis, you have been putting up with our constant questions and answering them. But you must have questions of your own for us."

Firestorm still seemed surprised, but the relief that made its way across his faceplates at Optimus's words made the Prime realize he had been correct in his assumptions that Firestorm wanted to ask questions as well, but had put off doing so in light of the message he had needed to deliver. Despite the obvious fact that he had questions of his own, there was still a bit of hesitancy in his voice as he answered. "Yes, I do have some questions…but I believe they may be of a sensitive nature to you and do not know if you would appreciate being asked them as a result."

"You have helped us," Optimus Prime insisted calmly. "You warned us, and in doing so, have saved countless lives. You have the right to ask us any questions that you like."

"If you are certain…" Firestorm replied, still hesitant.

"I am."

"Very well." Firestorm vented. He looked at the medbay floor for a moment, then looked back up, meeting the Prime's gaze. "I was told that the reason you are all so reluctant to trust me is because you were betrayed not too long ago. I was wondering…who was it that betrayed you?"

Optimus Prime shuttered his optics in pain. Even after the passing of one Earth year, the topic of Sentinel Prime's betrayal still seriously troubled every Autobot. As Sentinel had been his mentor, basically his father, it cut Optimus more deeply than any other Autobot on Earth, except perhaps Bumblebee.

"If it troubles you too much, you do not have to tell me," Firestorm quickly continued. "I do not mind."

"No, it is all right," Optimus responded, unshuttering his optics and looking evenly back at Firestorm. "It is a sensitive topic, yes, but you should hear it. We were betrayed by Sentinel Prime."

Firestorm flinched, much in the same way he had when he had found out that Jetfire had died. "Sentinel Prime…he betrayed you?"

"Yes."

It took Firestorm several minutes to find his voice again. When he finally did, his next question was a single word. "How?"

And Optimus told him. The Prime told the old Seeker the whole story, beginning with the discovery of the Ark's engine component to the final battle he'd had against Sentinel and Megatron in Chicago. Firestorm remained respectively silent throughout the entire tale, sensing that, if he interrupted to ask any questions, Optimus might not be able to get going in telling the story again. He could see just how difficult it was for the Prime to be telling this story in the first place, and he was not going to make it worse by interrupting; the sooner Optimus were to finish this, the better. When Optimus was finished, silence reigned in the medbay for a long moment.

Finally, Firestorm shook his head. "I knew there was something I did not like about Sentinel Prime. But I would never have expected any of _that_ from him." The shock was still evident in his tone.

"None of us did," Ratchet spoke up quietly. The medic had not spoken or moved from where he had been standing when Optimus had entered the medbay, but he had been listening to the entire conversation. "It took us all by surprise."

"I understand now why everyone is having a hard time trusting me and I understand their hostility." Firestorm shuttered his optics and lowered his head. "After that…I do not blame them."

"We learned the hard way to be extra careful in who we trust," Optimus spoke up again. "After what Sentinel did, we cannot chance otherwise."

"I understand." Firestorm was silent for a moment, taking the story in, before unshuttering his optics and continuing. "I have another question."

"Yes?"

"I heard rumors, back when I was in hiding on Cybertron, that some Younglings had survived the attack on the Youth Sectors. Is this true?"

Optimus allowed himself a small smile. "It is."

Firestorm looked as if he wanted to collapse in relief. After what he had read in the old Decepticon's personal logs concerning his view over what had happened at the Youth Sectors, Optimus had no doubts the relief was genuine. "Oh, thank Primus. They would be adults now, then. Are any of them here?"

"At the moment, no." Sorrow entered the Prime's voice once again. They had found a home on Earth, yes, but they had suffered incredible losses there as well. "There were some-four mechs. Their names were Jolt, Knockout, Skids, and Mudflap, but…Shockwave attacked our old base and killed all those who were there…those who had been Youngling survivors among them. There were two others-a mech named Beachbreak and a femme named Arcee, but Beachbreak was killed by Starscream four years ago, and Arcee is currently missing after a battle with Soundwave nearly two years ago. As we cannot pick up her signal anywhere…we assume she, too is offline. There are more, yes, but they have not made it to Earth yet, if they are still alive."

"That is horrible. They survived the Youth Sectors, only to…" Disappointment and sorrow flashed in Firestorm's optics, but both emotions were almost instantly replaced by confusion. "Hold on. The Youngling-Bumblebee, you called him?"

"What about him?"

"He is far too young to have been one of the Youngling survivors. At the time of the attack, he would have been a Hatchling. But I never heard of any survivors-all of the Hatchlings and Sparklings were killed, were they not?"

"Nearly," Optimus responded. "Bumblebee was the only one who survived. I do not know if the Decepticons thought he would die because they had forced him from his incubation chamber, or if the rubble from the collapsed structure shielded him from view, but by some miracle, he managed to avoid being killed by the Decepticons. Ironhide found him and pulled him from the rubble. He survived the attack, but barely. He had been forced from his chamber early. He was vastly undersized and so weak he could not even cry."

"When Ironhide brought him to me, I didn't think I could save him," Ratchet confessed. "But I tried my best. Even though I felt sure that he was not going to make it, I did everything I could to save him."

"And he lived." Optimus Prime allowed another small smile. "You were able to save him, Ratchet. As you saw for yourself, Firestorm, Bumblebee lived and is perfectly healthy. He might be undersized for his age, yes, but he is alive, and that is what matters."

"He does not speak," Firestorm said hesitantly.

"No." Optimus's voice was sad. "Like all of us, Bumblebee has suffered as a result of this war."

The medbay was quiet for a minute.

"But he is still so young," Firestorm remarked finally. "He should still have a caretaker, but I have not seen him with one who is obviously caring for him. Who is his caretaker?"

"Ironhide was his caretaker," Optimus replied simply, sorrow evident in his tone.

Firestorm looked away quickly. "Oh. I see."

"After Ironhide's death, we all sort of took Bumblebee in, more than we had before," Optimus continued. "But he _does_ have a caretaker of sorts, though not the usual kind."

"And who is this caretaker?" Firestorm questioned.

"The human boy, Sam Witwicky. The two of them are very close-they consider themselves to be brothers. Bumblebee was originally assigned to be Sam's guardian when we first came here, and he continues to watch over Sam. But to use the Cybertronian equivalent of human age, Bumblebee is slightly younger than Sam, and Sam is fiercely protective of him."

"A human, caretaker of an Autobot Youngling?" Firestorm was amazed.

"Yes." Optimus nodded. "And while it may be hard to believe that it is possible, there is no denying that it works."

"These humans truly are fascinating creatures," Firestorm said softly, the amazement still evident in his voice.

Optimus allowed another smile. "Indeed they are, Firestorm."

* * *

><p>Salvo and Howlback had led the Decepticons into the states. They had traveled fast and hard, stopping only for short recharges and to refuel on the Energon rations they had brought with them. Even traveling at their speed, it had taken them several days to reach their destination, but they had finally arrived in Ohio.<p>

Per their instructions, they fanned out in search of a place that they could use as a base. One of the younger soldiers among their ranks-an orange-armored mech named Scattershot, who, despite being one of the "expendables", had a keen optic-had found an old, abandoned factory that was perfect, and they had secured it immediately, utilizing some of the signal dampeners they had brought with them to mask their energy signatures-the remaining ones would be used to get them inside the parameter of the base without setting off any alarms (which would make the planned distraction useless if that happened). The factory even had a large room that would serve excellently as a holding cell for the Autobot they would capture on their way back from their attack on the Autobot base.

Once everything was in place and their new base was secure, the Decepticons took in one last round of Energon rations, and then settled down to grab a few hours' recharge before evening fell, when their attack would begin.

* * *

><p>"Look, Blaster. See the different colors in the sunset? Do you remember what they are? No, not that way, that's Mirage." Sam was sitting on one of the many stacks of crates outside the main Autobot hangar. He was holding Blaster in his lap-he'd received a text Bumblebee while his friend had been out on patrol, asking him to check up on Blaster-and he'd taken Blaster outside to wait for Bumblebee to come back, which he should at any minute. He was currently trying to teach the Sparkling how to recognize more colors by pointing them out in the sunset, but it wasn't going very well anymore; Blaster was more interested in wriggling and looking at everything else outside. He plainly heard the faint chuckle from Mirage as the little Sparkling squeaked at the older Autobot. Sighing, Sam tried to maintain his grip on Blaster. <em>Sheesh, I can't handle a baby Autobot,<em> he thought with amusement. _How the heck am I ever going to be able to look after a human baby when Carly and I have kids?_

But worrying about that would have to wait until this whole mess with Unicron was over and done with.

During the week that followed Firestorm's waking up and the meeting in which the truth of the threat the old Decepticon had warned Bumblebee of had been revealed, things had become a lot busier at the Autobot base. Now that they knew the threat was _not_ coming from the Decepticons and was based off-planet, the Autobots had decreased the number of patrols they did (although they still carried frequent ones out just to be safe) and had increased their training exercises. The human members of NEST-Sam and Carly included-were helping out in any way they could, refusing to let the knowledge that they would be unable to help in the actual fight get in the way of their support of the Autobots. After finishing up for the day in the Intel department, Sam had gone to the main hangar to do what Bumblebee had asked him to and had been immediately latched on to by Blaster, who was wanting to know "Where Bee" because "Bee gone", so Sam, knowing that Bumblebee would be back from his patrol soon, had taken Blaster outside to wait for him.

In the distance, Sam saw the gates to the base open and watched as the police car he knew was Prowl entered, followed by the familiar yellow Camaro that was Bumblebee.

"Hey, Blaster, look! Bumblebee's back. Why don't we tell him what you learned while he was gone, little guy?"

"Bee!" Blaster squeaked in delight, reaching towards the approaching Bumblebee.

Bumblebee obviously saw them from where he was; the young Autobot flashed his headlights at them in greeting as he drove up, initiating his Transform sequence so that he was fully in robot mode by the time he reached them.

"Hey, Bee! Hello, Prowl," Sam added as the police car pulled to a stop next to them and the Security officer also resumed his robot mode. "Did you guys find anything on patrol worth mentioning?"

"Same as always. No trouble to be seen," Prowl replied. "I'm actually glad that's the case. It means we can focus on the battle that's coming. Excuse me." Prowl entered the main hangar to report to Optimus.

"No news is good news, I guess," Sam commented, looking up at Bumblebee. The young Autobot nodded in agreement.

Blaster was reaching up towards Bumblebee, squeaking and clicking happily.

"Up, Bee! Up!"

Bumblebee willingly obliged the Sparkling's request; lifting Blaster up with one hand and lifting Sam up with the other, he headed towards the hangar, carrying his human brother and Sparkling charge inside.

"Oh, hey, Bee, Blaster's learned some colors now."

Bumblebee chirped curiously, looking at Sam, then at Blaster with interest. At Blaster's age, he'd been told, Sparklings began to attach colors to their names, but he hadn't heard Blaster doing so, except briefly when he used the word "pnk" meaning "pink" to refer to Energon when he was hungry as "Energon" was beyond his capability to pronounce at the moment.

"Watch. Blaster, what color is your armor?"

"Red."

"What color is Bee?"

"Yell'w."

Bumblebee's optics smiled with amusement.

Sam grinned at him. "Wait, he knows more. Blaster, what color are your optics?"

"P'ple."

"What color are Bee's optics?"

"B'ue."

"That's right," Sam said with a smile. He looked back up at Bumblebee. "I tried to teach him more but he got too wriggly to pay attention."

Bumblebee clicked in amusement as they arrived at the Sparkling play area. Taking care to keep Sam balanced with one hand, he lifted Blaster down into the play area, where the little red Sparkling squeaked and crawled off to play with the others. Bumblebee felt a strong sense of relief at that. Blaster had been so shy and clingy when they had first arrived at the base over a week ago, it had seemed impossible that he would have ever calmed down enough to be alright to be left with the other Sparklings while Bumblebee went off elsewhere. But he had, and now, despite having moments of clinginess now and then, Blaster was perfectly fine with Bumblebee leaving him in the care of someone else that was not Sam, Carly, Wheelie, or Brains, for a short while. Straightening back up, Bumblebee looked at Sam. _"I'm glad-he's-settled down finally,"_ The young Autobot pieced together.

"Yeah, me too, Bee," Sam agreed.

Bumblebee hesitated for a minute. He looked worried about something. He began to speak to his human brother again, this time in his own voice. "S-Sam, i-if…"

The young Autobot's words were cut off as the sound of a loud explosion coming from outside rocked the hangar.

Every Autobot in the hangar jerked in surprise, looking towards the entrance in shock. Another explosion rocked through, and Bumblebee instinctively cupped his right hand protectively over Sam, who was still on his shoulder. Terrified cries were coming from the Sparklings, and Bumblebee crouched down next to Blaster-who had hurriedly crawled back towards him after the first explosion-cupping his free hand over the frightened little Sparkling. Nearby, Sideswipe was trying to comfort a crying Fireflight.

"What's going on?" The silver mech asked frantically, looking on as Mirage ran towards the hangar entrance to see what was happening.

"We're…" Another explosion rang out. "We're under attack! There's…I don't believe this…Decepticons!"

_Decepticons._

At that word, all of the Autobots and humans in the base sprang to their feet. The attack had caught them by surprise, and, even with all the extra training they had been doing lately, they still felt unprepared. Optimus Prime, who had been off in a side hangar, entered just in time to hear Mirage's disbelieving statement. He didn't hesitate to attempt to pull the members of NEST out of their shock and into action.

"Sideswipe! Get the Sparklings to safety, and stay with them once they are," The Prime ordered. "Everyone else, outside! We need to stop them before they cause any severe damage or breach the base hangars!" Mentally, the Prime's thoughts were confused. _Decepticons? After so long? Why now?_

Bumblebee sat Sam down, reluctantly lifting his hand from Blaster as well. Blaster whimpered; he was scared and wanted Bumblebee to stay with him, but Bumblebee rubbed his head soothingly, managing to rasp out, "S-stay with S-Sides," using the nickname that Blaster knew Sideswipe by. Blaster whimpered again, but made no move to follow Bumblebee when his caretaker stood up and moved quickly after the rest of the Autobots leaving the hangar to fight. Sideswipe was already hurrying from the hangar with Fireflight and First Aid, knowing that the Sparklings would remain in the play area until he was able to get them all out, as even the tallest of them-Trailbreaker-was still too small to get out unaided.

Will was leading a group of human soldiers out of the hangar as well. He spotted Sam standing there, fists clenched, watching the entrance to the hangar. It was obvious he wanted to help the Autobots. Sam wasn't a trained soldier, but he had fought the Decepticons again and again, proving that he _was_ a soldier, albeit not an officially trained one. Making a split second decision, Will rushed over to Sam, yelling at his men to keep going-"Get out there and help the Autobots!"-and came to a stop next to the upset young man.

"Sam," Will said seriously. "You're not a trained NEST soldier, but I know you can fight." He handed Sam something. "Take this. It's a boomstick-one of the last ones Wheeljack made. Use it, if you get a chance, but be careful."

"Thank you," Sam told Will gratefully, following him out into the scene of the battle. He was going to find Bumblebee.

No Decepticon was going to have the chance to even come close to killing Bumblebee this time-he would be sure of that.

* * *

><p>Howlback quickly made her way through the now mostly-abandoned Autobot base, Skyjack following close behind. Getting in had been all too easy-thanks to the distraction Salvo and the others were providing, it had just been a matter of slipping behind the Autobots and human soldiers as they rushed out to fight. Those fools were so focused on the enemy in front of them that they had neglected to notice the enemy behind, sneaking into one of the side hangars. The signal dampeners she and Skyjack wore were also a great help, essentially making them invisible to the Autobot scanners and Energon Detectors that protected the base.<p>

And now they were in. Using her scanners, Howlback managed to pinpoint the strong signal that could only be coming from the Autobot network. She came to a halt a short distance away. Based on the layout of the base she had in her navigation systems, the medbay was in this corridor, along with two rooms that appeared to be empty. A few more rooms down was her destination.

"Stay here and keep watch," She ordered Skyjack. "Do what you do best. Make yourself invisible."

"Gladly," Skyjack grunted, withdrawing into the shadows.

Howlback ran down the corridor the rest of the way, arriving at a door, behind which she knew her target lay. A swift broadcast of stolen codes, and the door opened, allowing her enough time to slip in before it slid shut behind her.

The computer that hosted the Autobot network lay across the wall opposite the door. It was large, and took up the entire wall in a fashion similar to old human computers. But this computer, despite its similar size, was nowhere near as primitive as the old human computers it resembled.

Howlback trotted up to it. Standing on her hind legs, she placed the claws on her front legs onto the main console. Initiating the uplink, she noted with satisfaction that the firewalls the system boasted were mere child's play to an espionage expert such as herself.

"All right, Teletraan-I," She hissed quietly. "Let's see what lovely information you have stored inside you for the Decepticons to use."

* * *

><p>In the medbay, Sunstreaker looked nervously around as another explosion rocked the base.<p>

"What is going on?" Firestorm asked as he came to stand next to Ratchet, alarm evident in his voice.

"Decepticons," Ratchet growled. "Optimus Prime just contacted me. We are under attack."

Firestorm took another step forward. "I can help! Let me out to fight. I may be old, but I am strong. I can help you drive the Decepticons away. Please!"

Sunstreaker shook his head. "No way. Optimus said you had to stay in here under guard."

"But I can help!" Firestorm argued.

"No," Sunstreaker insisted, but Ratchet was considering Firestorm carefully.

"Optimus did say you needed to remain under guard, but…" Ratchet said softly.

What the medic did next surprised all those present in the medbay, including himself. He opened the door, and gestured to Firestorm.

"If you can help us, then help us."

Firestorm hesitated only briefly, and then rushed out of the medbay, Ratchet following closely.

"I will guard him," The medic called back to Sunstreaker. "This is my responsibility."

"Wait! Ratchet!" Sunstreaker yelled after the retreating medic, but Ratchet and Firestorm were now out of auditory range. The yellow mech vented in exasperation. "What am I supposed to do in here by _myself_?"

* * *

><p>Sideswipe was making his last Sparkling recovery trip to the main hangar for Blaster. It took him a while to locate the little red Sparkling, but he finally found him curled in a little ball under one of the thermal blankets in the play area, clinging to his stuffed penguin tightly.<p>

"There you are," Sideswipe said in relief. He'd been starting to think that the little Sparkling had somehow managed to escape the play area. "What are you doing?"

"Hidin'. Booms sc'ry."

"Yes, they are," Sideswipe agreed, lifting the little Sparkling up. Another explosion sounded and Blaster whimpered, burrowing into Sideswipe's arms. "Easy there, squirt. Bumblebee and the others will take care of things."

"Bee make booms go 'way?"

Sideswipe smiled as he carried Blaster out of the main hangar, into the side one where the room that served as the safe/nap area for the little Sparklings was located. "Yes, Blaster. Bumblebee and Optimus and everyone else will make the booms go away, and then things will be quiet again. Until then, you need to stay with me, alright?"

"'kay," Blaster squeaked quietly.

"Look out, Sideswipe!"

Sideswipe barely had time to identify the shouted words as Ratchet's when the red, orange, and gold form of Firestorm raced past, heading for the main hangar. Flattening himself against the wall to avoid being knocked over, Sideswipe stared after the old Decepticon in shock before turning to face Ratchet, who was running after Firestorm.

"What's going on, Ratchet? Is Firestorm trying to escape?"

"No! He's on his way to help out in the battle!" Ratchet raced past and the silver mech had to flatten himself against the wall once again. "Forget Firestorm, Sideswipe. You just get Blaster in there with the others and make sure they stay safe!"

Sideswipe watched as both the medic and Seeker left his sight, and then shook his head. He didn't understand why Ratchet trusted Firestorm-a Decepticon-enough to let him go, but he had a Sparkling to worry about now. He'd look into the issue of Firestorm being let out later.

"Things sure aren't getting any less strange around here. Come on, Blaster, let's get you to the others, where it's quiet and safe."

Neither the silver mech or the little red Sparkling were aware of the unfriendly pair of optics watching them from the shadows.

* * *

><p>Computron was not a warrior. He knew this for a fact and never tried to pretend otherwise. Even back on Cybertron he had never fought in any of the battles, instead preferring to assist the Autobots with his knowledge of the planet and his information-gathering tactics. The life of an espionage agent suited him more than being a warrior by a long shot.<p>

That was why, when Optimus had given the order for the Autobots to head out into the yard surrounding the base to fight the attacking Decepticons, Computron had flown above the battle in a wide circle, counting the Decepticons' numbers, and, after giving it off as a report, had gone the long way around to the hangar that housed Teletraan-I in one of its rooms. The computer system needed to be kept safe now, and he was the mech to do it. Instead of entering the hangar from its main entrance, he used his "secret" one-an air vent that had just enough space for him to slip into. He landed inside the air duct and made his way along until he came to the duct's exit into the room that containing Teletraan-I. He poked his head through the vent and went absolutely still at what he saw.

A Decepticon was at Teletraan-I's control console.

A _Decepticon _was infiltrating the Autobot computer network!

Computron might not have been a warrior. But he was extremely protective of Teletraan-I. He had maintained it, monitored it, installed it, made it what it was, and now this Decepticon was using it.

Not on his watch.

"Ah, there you are," the Decepticon growled. "Tricky, but got you. Now for the last bit…almost done…"

Computron recognized the Decepticon's voice. _Howlback. Of course. Espionage expert, eh? Well, you'll soon learn that no Decepticon espionages Teletraan-I when I'm around and gets away with it. _The small black-armored mech silently crept closer until he was right behind Howlback. She hadn't noticed him yet.

Good.

"Excuse me, miss," Computron said politely. "Are you looking for something?"

Howlback went stiff with shock. Her surprise only lasted briefly, however, and she spun around, lashing out at the small Autobot with her claws. Computron pulled back quickly, but her claws still left a thin, shallow gash in his chest armor.

"Get away from my computer!" Computron yelled, beating at Howlback's head with his wings. He may not have been a warrior, but he _could_ fight, if he was pressed to do so. Howlback snarled and swiped at him, but he flew out of her reach, refusing to let up his assault.

"Get fragged, Autobot!" Howlback roared in frustration. "You're too late!" And with that last scathing remark, she turned around and smashed one of her claws into the computer's command console. The damage from that attack would start the system crash. The virus she had planted would finish the job.

"Not my computer!" Computron screamed in fury as Howlback leapt to the floor and raced towards the room's exit. "Get back here!" He tried to fly after her, but she was uninjured where he was losing Energon, however little the amount, from the gash on his chest, and she was quickly gaining the lead as a result.

_Skyjack!_ Howlback commed urgently as she ran down the corridor. _The mission is complete, but one of the cursed Autobots found me! Let's go!_

_Howlback, wait'll you see what I found!_ Came Skyjack's reply. _You won't believe this!_

_Never mind!_ Howlback replied. _Let's go! Now, before the Autobots get wise to what I actually did!_

* * *

><p>Outside, the battle wasn't <em>quite<em> going poorly, but it wasn't going well, either. The Autobots might have outnumbered the Decepticons that were present, but the attack had caught them by surprise, and the Decepticons were taking every advantage of their foes' lack of readiness that they could.

Salvo was a fierce fighter. He was proving that to Optimus right that moment. What was the most frustrating was that, every time the Autobots would try to land a blow, the Decepticons would pull back away from it and then surge forward again. It was a different manner of fighting than the Decepticons usually employed, and the Autobots weren't adjusting to it quickly enough. The humans weren't having any better luck in the fight, as the Decepticons would simply shove them off to one side and focus solely on the Autobots.

Bumblebee had just finished knocking down one of the smaller Decepticons when a sudden crashing blow to his back sent him painfully to the ground. He tried to get up, but the Decepticon who had hit him was pinning his legs to the ground, restraining him with both hands. Bumblebee twisted around to see Bullseye smirking at him. The red mech was smaller than Bumblebee, but he was older and stronger-despite his size-and the scout struggled to get free without success.

"Hello, runt! Aren't you the hero from Tyger Pax? You're one of the causes of our troubles you know! So today, I'm gonna be _extra_ nice and pay you back for it!"

Bullseye wrenched one of the Autobot's legs back as hard as he could, twisting it painfully as he did so. Something inside Bumblebee's right leg snapped, and the young Autobot screamed.

"Leave him _ALONE!_"

Bullseye turned to see who had dared to interrupt his fun with that yell, only to see a human. He nearly burst out laughing. A worthless _human_, challenging _him_? "Shut up, _human_! Wait a minute…" Bullseye peered closer. "You're that Witwicky insect!"

Sam brandished the boomstick his still carried at Bullseye. By all rights, he knew that he should be scared of the large Decepticon, but hearing Bumblebee scream like that had made him so angry he was past the point of being afraid. "Get away from him!"

"Or what? You tap me with that little _toy_?" Bullseye sneered condescendingly. He made a move to injure Bumblebee's left leg in the same way he had the Autobot's right, but before he could do so, he found himself knocked off the young Autobot with a powerful blow. Skidding to a stop a few feet away, Bullseye leapt back up and glared in surprise at what he saw.

Firestorm stood protectively over Bumblebee, wings spread out to the side, head forward threateningly. "Stay away from the Youngling and the human, Bullseye, or next time I will do more than just knock you to the ground!" The old Seeker snarled, his normally reasonable gruff baritone now low and menacing.

"_You!_" Bullseye said incredulously, optics narrowing. "I remember you! _Firestorm_! You're the coward who didn't have the _courage_ to stay and fight by Megatron's side!"

"No," Firestorm said in a dangerously quiet voice. "I was one of the few who actually had the courage to _leave_ and chose my own path. Now, shall _you_ leave this time, or do I have to fight you again?"

Before the red mech could answer the old Seeker's question, a sudden, shouted command rang throughout the battlefield.

"Fall back, Decepticons!" It was Salvo. "Fall back!"

Bullseye growled in annoyance. It was the signal that the mission had been a success and that it was time to retreat to their new base. So much for fun-first the human had spoiled it, then Firestorm had ruined things more, and now a retreat order. With another annoyed snarl, he Transformed back into his motorcycle form and drove away to join the other fleeing Decepticons. However, one of the smaller Decepticons-the one Bumblebee had knocked over earlier-was a bit slower in getting up, and before he could run away as well, Firestorm dashed over and pinned him to the ground gently-but firmly-with one foot. The small Decepticon struggled, but Firestorm leaned down to hiss a warning.

"Stay still, you little troublemaker!"

The tone of his voice let the captive Decepticon know that Firestorm meant business, and he immediately ceased his struggles to get away.

And just like that, it was over as suddenly as it had begun.

Optimus Prime looked around at the assembled Autobots and humans. Thankfully, there were none who seemed to be severely injured. There was damage to the base, but fortunately, it, too, appeared to not be serious. His attention was instantly drawn to Firestorm. He had noted with surprise the arrival of the old Seeker into the battle, but had been too focused on his own fight with Salvo to give it any further notice. At the moment, Firestorm, while keeping the small Decepticon captive firmly held down with one foot, was looking over Bumblebee, who appeared to be injured. The Youngling had managed to stand up, but when he tried to put weight on his right leg, he flinched violently and shifted so he was putting hardly any weight on it at all. Ratchet immediately came over and helped to support him, while Sam patted the young Autobot's uninjured leg in an attempt to comfort him.

"They got away," Mirage said in anger, looking in the direction the Decepticons had fled.

"But we held them off," Optimus Prime replied. His gaze took in all of the humans and Autobots, and Firestorm, as well. "Well done, all of you. You fought bravely."

"But what did they _want_?" Red Alert fretted.

"I do not know," Optimus Prime admitted. "I wish that I did."

* * *

><p>They made their way back into the main hangar. There were minor injuries to be taken care of, and the humans that were hurt went to see the human medics, while Optimus accompanied Ratchet, who was supporting Bumblebee, and Firestorm, who was leaking Energon from a gash on his left foot but insisting firmly he needed no help, to the medbay. Sam followed closely behind, asking frantically if Bumblebee would be alright, and Ratchet kept assuring him that yes, he would be fine. The Decepticon Firestorm had captured had been turned over to Prowl and was being taken to one of the empty rooms to be locked in and guarded until they decided what to do with him.<p>

As they entered the hall that lead to the medbay, they were met with a distraught Computron, accompanied by Sunstreaker, who was supporting his brother. Sideswipe was leaking Energon from a wound on his head and seemed really upset about something. The silver mech was trying to get to Optimus, but Sunstreaker, obviously worried about his brother, was holding him back and trying to clean the wound on his helm. Optimus stepped forward.

"Sideswipe, what happened?"

"Optimus, I tried…he snuck up behind me, and I…Sunstreaker, get _off_, I'm fine…I tried to stop him, but he was bigger than I am, and then suddenly there was another one there and I couldn't…"

"Calm down, Sideswipe," The Prime said firmly. "Now, tell me, and slowly. What happened?"

Sideswipe's resolve finally failed, and he looked at Optimus with despair and shame in his optics.

"They took him, Optimus. The Decepticons took Blaster."


	10. Aftermath

**A/N**_**:**__ Sorry for the delay, but I needed to attend to a few other things first. _

_That being said, the previous eight chapters and the prologue have all been revised and edited. Some things have been added, like bits of dialogue and such, that weren't there before, so you should go and check out the previous chapters again, if you haven't already!_

_Also, one of the two additional tie-in fics I have planned for this fic series has been written-__**A New Day**__-so go check it out if you haven't yet!_

_And for those of you who were worried by what I said in the Author's Note of __**A New Day**__…I'm not going to abandon this story! Nope, I'm having too much fun writing it! I just was a little worried because I wasn't receiving feedback anymore, that's all. But I'm not worried anymore, nope, and I'm going to keep writing so everyone can enjoy this story._

_Another slow-paced shorter chapter, but that won't last for long._

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Nine-Aftermath **

**Rating: T **

**Words: 6,678**

* * *

><p>THERE WAS A BRIEF, STUNNED SILENCE THAT followed Sideswipe's troubling revelation. The silence was abruptly broken when Bumblebee let out a cry that sounded like that of a wounded animal. Ratchet had to move quickly in order to restrain the injured scout as he attempted to run in the direction of the base's exit. Such restraint was unnecessary, however; Bumblebee couldn't get more than half a step away before his injured leg gave out; it would have sent him crashing to the floor if the medic hadn't been there to catch him.<p>

Optimus's optics widened with shock, but he knew that there was no time to waste. He immediately commed the Head of Security. _Prowl._ _Is the prisoner secure?_

Prowl's response was immediate. _Yes, sir. Red Alert is guarding him._

_Get Silverbolt and Mirage,_ the Prime ordered tersely. _The Decepticons managed to break into our base without us realizing it. They have taken Blaster. Search as far as you can-Silverbolt can search the skies. Hurry._

_Understood, Sir._

"I have sent Prowl out with Silverbolt and Mirage," Optimus told his companions once he had broken off his comm with Prowl. "If the Decepticons are still nearby, they will find them."

"This is all my fault," Sideswipe said miserably. The normally cocky silver mech couldn't bring himself to look at the other Autobots-and Decepticon and human, in Firestorm and Sam's case-that were present any longer. His voice was heavy with guilt and shame. "When I went back to the main hangar to get him, he was hiding under one of the blankets in the play area. If I'd been a little quicker…I would have found him sooner and got him to safety before that miserable 'Con and his friend even had time to notice us." He shook his head sadly. "It's my fault."

"N-no," Bumblebee spoke up hoarsely. Although he was just barely managing to stand upright again, he looked evenly at Sideswipe, and then shook his head. "S-sideswipe…t-this is _MY_ f-fault. I-I knew t-that Blaster h-has a h-habit o-of h-hiding, a-and I s-should've t-told e-everyone. I-if I'd t-told y-you, y-you w-would h-have k-known t-to g-get h-him b-before h-he h-had a c-chance t-to hide. _I'm_ t-to b-blame f-for t-this. I-I…" The young Autobot broke off into a fit of hoarse coughing sounds, unable to say anything more. Sam reached over from where he was standing next the Bumblebee and laid a hand on the scout's uninjured leg, looking up at him sympathetically.

"Easy, Bumblebee. Don't try to talk again," Ratchet admonished, although his normally gruff tone was somewhat gentler, and his expression was troubled and sympathetic.

Sideswipe opened his mouth to protest Bumblebee's words, but before he could begin, Optimus held out a hand, silencing the silver mech before he even spoke.

"Enough," The Prime reproved, though his voice was soft with compassion. "No one is to blame for this. No one, that is, except for the Decepticons who took Blaster in the first place." He focused on Sideswipe. "Sideswipe, are the other Sparklings safe?"

"Yes, sir," Sideswipe reported, his voice still subdued. "Blaster was the only one I needed to still get to safety."

"Sunstreaker," Optimus addressed the silver mech's twin next. "Your brother will be fine; Ratchet will attend to him. I want you to go and keep watch over the Sparklings."

Sunstreaker nodded, reluctantly letting go of his brother. He gave Sideswipe one last worried glance as he turned and headed towards the room that the other Sparklings had been relocated to.

Throughout the entire exchange between Prime, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee, Computron had been silently watching the taller Autobots. Like the others, he'd been horrified to learn of what had happened to Blaster, and he didn't want to reveal more bad news in light of that…but he knew he had no choice. Finally, he stepped forward. Optimus Prime needed to know.

"Sir, the Decepticons that infiltrated our base…I was able to catch one in the act-Howlback-but I wasn't able to stop her in what she was doing. I know she stole some information, but about what, I do not know, because stealing isn't all that she did." He shook his head. "This pales in comparison to what happened to Blaster, but Teletraan-I is down. Howlback planted a virus and then damaged it severely. Our computer network…information, tactics, the system sending out the call, _everything_, is not working. We're completely blind."

Optimus vented, and then spoke, frustration and weariness evident in his tone. "Can it be fixed?"

"I think so," Computron replied, and shrugged. "But it will take a long time, and until it's fixed there's no way to know what information was taken."

"Just do the best that you can, Computron. In the meantime…" The Prime gestured towards the medbay. "You also need attending. You are leaking Energon from that gash on your chest."

"This? It's nothing but a scratch, sir," Computron insisted, but he flew into the medbay alongside Sideswipe, who still looked upset about what had happened to Blaster.

Optimus returned his attention to the others still present in the hallway. Ratchet was still supporting Bumblebee, with Sam standing nearby. Firestorm was slightly behind the medic, a confused expression on his faceplate.

"I will completely explain the situation to you later, Firestorm," The Prime told the old Decepticon, guessing that the reason for Firestorm's confusion was due to him not knowing about the Sparklings(which was yet another security decision regarding the question of his trustworthiness). And although Optimus now felt that Firestorm could be trusted completely, in light of what had happened, now was not the time or place for such a thing to be discussed. "Accompany Ratchet into the Medbay, and he will attend to your injury as well."

"My injury is not that severe. There is a young 'un who needs attending first," Firestorm replied calmly, nodding in the direction of Bumblebee before he also entered the medbay. "I can wait."

The Prime crossed the distance to Bumblebee and laid a hand on his shoulder. The younger Autobot was trembling, and Optimus had a strong feeling that it wasn't completely because of the pain of his injured leg. He imagined what it would have been like for him if Trailbreaker had been taken, and felt a wave of sympathy for the young scout. Bumblebee had always done his best to care for Blaster, even before he had been officially assigned to be the Sparkling's caretaker. The Prime could only imagine how terrible the young Autobot must be feeling about the whole situation, especially seeing as how he had denied Sideswipe any fault in what had happened and placed the blame squarely on himself. "Bumblebee, do not worry. We _will_ find Blaster. I promise."

Bumblebee looked up at the Prime, his normally bright blue optics dull with anguish. He lowered his gaze again and nodded miserably. Seeing the normally cheerful young Autobot so downcast was more than enough to make Optimus feel another rush of sympathy. The last time Bumblebee had looked this lost was when Ironhide had been killed.

"Come on, Bumblebee," Ratchet offered then. "Let's get that leg of yours taken care of." The medic paused, looking back at Optimus. "Firestorm still needs a guard, Optimus."

"I will stand guard for now," The Prime stated evenly. "Though I doubt any of us will be able to recharge tonight." He gave Bumblebee's shoulder a comforting squeeze, then lowered his hand. Bumblebee looked back up at him, the faintest glimmer of gratitude showing in his pained optics. Optimus offered the scout a faint smile. "It will be all right, Bumblebee."

He watched as Ratchet helped Bumblebee into the medbay. He was about to enter himself when he noticed that Sam remained where he had been silently standing, watching the entire conversation that had just taken place. The human's fists were clenched, and he looked up at Optimus. The Prime could see the emotions in Sam's eyes-anger, sadness, determination.

"Optimus, do you really think that Prowl and the others will be able to rescue Blaster? What if they don't? Will anyone else be able to?" There was a catch in the human's voice, and the Prime realized that Sam was just as upset at the loss of Blaster as Bumblebee was. "Bee's going to be absolutely _crushed_ if they can't find Blaster."

Optimus shook his head, venting wearily. "We have to hope they will be successful, Sam. At the moment, that is all we can do."

Sam didn't seem satisfied with that answer, but he accepted it anyway, putting his hands in his pockets and heading into the medbay to stay with Bumblebee.

Optimus paused before entering the medbay himself. Despite what the Prime had told Bumblebee and Sam, there were nagging worries in the back of his processor-what if they couldn't find Blaster? Could they have just suffered their first casualty, before Unicron had even arrived? But just as soon as those worries appeared, he pushed them away. Even if Prowl and the others couldn't find where the Decepticons had gone, Optimus silently vowed that there would be patrols searching every single day, until Blaster was safe and back with Bumblebee.

And while the rescue of Blaster was important, unfortunately it wasn't the only problem they had to deal with now.

Idly, Optimus wondered what information Howlback had stolen from Teletraan-I, and just what the Decepticons planned to do with it.

As he made to enter the medbay, something lying on the floor caught the Prime's optics. He knelt down and picked it up.

It was Blaster's stuffed penguin.

The knowledge that the Decepticons had taken the little Sparkling was a heavy burden, but the Prime dared not think about what they actually had _planned_ for Blaster.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, Sideswipe's, Computron's, and Firestorm's injuries were all minor, and required nothing more than a simple patch welded over each gash to prevent any further Energon leaking while their own repair systems healed the damage. Once they had been treated, Computron and Sideswipe had left, with Firestorm remaining behind in medbay as he was still being kept under watch.<p>

The damage done to Bumblebee's right leg, however, was much more serious. As the injury was actually on the _inside_ of the leg, a simple patch was not what he needed. His treatment would take longer, and he wouldn't be free to go for at least the rest of the night.

"I'm going to have to open up your leg to fix the damage, Bumblebee," Ratchet explained. He continued to speak in a far gentler manner than he usually did. He knew just how upset Bumblebee was at the moment and did not want to be too harsh with the younger Autobot. The scout was hurting enough already; he didn't need strict words making it worse. "I'll disable your pain sensors. You'll still feel some discomfort, but it won't hurt."

Bumblebee didn't respond verbally, either out loud or with his comms, but he gave a barely noticeable nod. He felt Ratchet press something against his leg, and the pain he had been feeling abruptly stopped. The young Autobot relaxed slightly on the berth as Ratchet continued to work.

Sam was sitting on the edge of the berth, talking quietly to Bumblebee. Like he had with Ratchet, the young Autobot remained quiet, although he occasionally gave a slight nod of his head in response to what Sam was telling him. He knew Sam was trying to make him feel better, and he was grateful for that. But he wouldn't really feel any better about what had happened until Blaster was back. He could tell that Sam was upset at what had happened, too, but was trying to put it aside so that he could help Bumblebee, and the gratitude he felt towards his human brother increased with that realization. Bumblebee hoped Prowl and the others would return soon, and that they had been successful in what Prime had asked them to do.

He felt a twinge in his leg, and couldn't suppress a soft whine of discomfort as he twitched slightly. Thanks to his pain sensors in his leg being disabled, what Ratchet was doing to repair the damage didn't hurt, but he still felt every single bit of pressure and pulling the medic's tools caused. It was a very weird experience, and uncomfortable, to say the least.

"I know it's not pleasant," Ratchet murmured as he worked. "Just try to stay still. That Decepticon managed to snap not only the two minor support struts in your leg, but the main one as well."

"So…Bee's leg is broken?" Sam asked, looking up at the medic in concern.

"That would be the human equivalent of the injury, yes," Ratchet agreed. "However, for Cybertronians, it doesn't take quite as long to heal as it does for you humans. I have to make sure there's no jagged edges-fortunately it looks like the breaks are clean and straight across. After that, I'm going to weld the struts back together, and then close the leg back up. Once that's done, Bumblebee, you'll needed to remain off your feet-which means no Transforming-until the welds set, and even after that your leg will be stiff and sore for a while. But you'll recover fully."

"That's good," Sam said, offering Bumblebee a small smile.

The door to the medbay suddenly slid open, and Prowl came in, closely followed by Mirage. Bumblebee turned to face them, a faint hope surfacing in his Spark, but it faded away when he saw the disappointment and defeat in the older Autobots' optics.

"Nothing, Prime." Prowl's voice was bitter with defeat. "We looked everywhere, but there wasn't a trace of them. Not even Silverbolt could find them. I'm sorry, but they're gone."

"They had a head start on us," Mirage growled. "It was a waste of time." Despite his gruff words, there was a slight catch to his voice and he kept his head turned to the side so the others couldn't see the disappointment in his optics. He might not be a Sparkling caretaker himself, but the red mech had done his fair share of watching them, and he had grown attached to every single one of them. Losing Blaster was a painful blow to him, as well.

"I am sure that you did your best," Optimus assured them. The Prime fought to keep his own disappointment from his voice, and succeeded only slightly. "We will send out another patrol in the morning. Perhaps daylight will make the trail easier to find."

"There's one more thing, Prime," Prowl reported. "Colonel Lennox informed me that the base is being accosted by the media. Apparently the attack was noticed by a fair amount of civilians. He would like your assistance, if you can give it, sir."

Optimus nodded. "I can. Mirage, would you take up the guard duty while I am gone?"

Mirage saluted with the blade on one of his arms. "Yes, Prime."

Optimus looked back over to the berth that Bumblebee rested on. After hearing the news of the failure of the search, the young Autobot had turned his head away and was now staring miserably at the ceiling. Sam was now standing on the berth next to him, talking in a low voice to the Autobot once again. Bumblebee nodded slightly, though he still looked upset.

The Prime turned and headed out the door, accompanied by Prowl. There was little more that could be done to help Bumblebee deal with this. However, Optimus knew that having Sam stay with the young scout was what was best for Bumblebee at the moment. The door shut after them.

Ratchet looked up from his work once the door was shut again. "Sam, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be heading home? Bumblebee can't Transform with his leg injured like this, but I'm sure one of the others would take you."

Sam looked at Ratchet in surprise, then looked back at Bumblebee. "Um, actually, Ratchet, I was thinking that I should stay here with Bee."

Ratchet blinked. "Won't Carly be worried?"

"She'll understand," Sam insisted. _I hope._ "I'll just call her and let her know that…well, Bee is hurt and he needs someone to keep him company." He smiled slightly at Bumblebee. Bumblebee looked back at him at that. The young Autobot's optics were still dull with pain, but Sam could see the gratitude in them.

"Well, if that's what you want." Ratchet returned his focus to his work, finishing the weld on one of the minor support struts in Bumblebee's leg.

"It is." Sam reached over and rubbed the side of Bumblebee's helm. "Bee, I'm gonna go and give Carly a call to let her know what's going on. If the media involvement is as bad as what Prowl said, this is probably all over the news, so she's probably heard it and is worried. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Bumblebee nodded wordlessly, watching as his friend jumped down from the berth, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as he exited the medbay. He was touched that Sam would choose to stay with him instead of going home. Bumblebee was glad for that. He didn't want to be alone tonight. He didn't want to have to deal with his thoughts on his own. He didn't want to face the fact that he had _failed_ as a Sparkling caretaker.

Bumblebee knew what it was like to be trapped alone somewhere, not knowing if he was going to be rescued. He didn't want to imagine Blaster going through the same thing; he didn't want to imagine the little Sparkling being cold and alone and scared, kept somewhere in the dark by the Decepticons, crying for his caretaker and not understanding why Bumblebee didn't answer his cries.

The young Autobot barely managed to hold in a mechanical sob. No, he didn't want to imagine that.

* * *

><p>Scattershot looked around the room the Autobots had placed him in for the…oh, he'd lost track of what time he was doing it for.<p>

It wasn't all that interesting for a room, to be honest. Mostly it was big and empty. There was a human-sized table and a few chairs in one corner, and something that looked like it could be written on (though sadly, it was blank and offered nothing against the boredom that was quickly setting in) against one wall. One thing the room didn't have that he wished it did, though, was a window.

Unlike almost all of the other Decepticons, Scattershot actually found the landscape, the natural beauty of this planet, of Earth, to be fascinating. The other Decepticons (except for the ones he considered his friends) bullied and made fun of him mercilessly for that, so he usually kept quiet about it. He didn't remember too much of what Cybertron had been like before the war had really ruined things, but he knew that nothing on Cybertron had been like this-blue sky and cool water and green things growing everywhere that felt really weird to be walking on. Even the desolate landscape the Decepticons had inhabited before they had moved up here had been full of its own unique beauty. The mountains and rocks were very interesting and varied greatly. Not to mention how many different species of living creatures were here! And each one of them was simply amazing-and they were all _organic_, too! Not a natural robotic species among them…it was fascinating.

Sometimes Scattershot wished that there wasn't any fighting. That he could just be able to enjoy exploring and learning about this planet.

But he was a Decepticon, and he had duties to fulfill, and none of them involved exploring organic planets.

He'd been captured, but hadn't he fought well? Especially considering how battle was far from being something he enjoyed or was even remotely skilled at, he hadn't done that badly, had he? And if the Autobots killed him, like he knew they would, at least he'd fulfilled his duty as a loyal Decepticon. He knew that he honestly couldn't expect anyone to come and rescue him; it wasn't the Decepticon way, and besides, the numbers of those nearby weren't enough for them to do it anyway, even if teammate rescue had been a Decepticon method of acting.

A voice suddenly speaking through the door from outside the room caught his attention.

"You, in there. Decepticon. What is your name?"

Scattershot recognized the voice as that of the Autobot who had locked him in the room in the first place. "My name is Scattershot."

"Scattershot, my name is Prowl. You were part of an attack against we Autobots and our human allies. Along with your companions, you injured Autobot and human alike and caused damage to our base. Optimus Prime has decided that-"

Unable to restrain himself, Scattershot blurted out, "Just tell me. When is he going to kill me?"

"What are you talking about? No one is going to _kill _you," Prowl replied firmly. "You are going to be held here until further notice. We may question you. We may keep you here for a very long time. But we will not kill you."

"But…but I thought…I thought Autobots killed their prisoners?"

"Who told you that?" Prowl's voice was incredulous. "We are _Autobots_, Scattershot. We don't kill our prisoners. We treat them with respect, even if they never gave it to us."

"But…" Scattershot stammered.

"You will not be killed," Prowl reassured again. "You will stay in this room until Optimus orders otherwise. We will not mistreat you. You will be given Energon and allowed to recharge in peace. Now, I am going. But there will be a guard present at this door at all times, so escape would not be a good idea."

After several moments of silence passed, signalling that Prowl was gone, Scattershot sank to the floor, leaning against one of the walls.

He'd been so sure that Prowl had been going to inform him of when he was going to be executed, but what had actually happened was far different. He was alive, and the Autobots were, more or less, going to treat him fairly, if Prowl was to be believed. Confusion filled him.

Ever since he could remember, he'd been taught that the Autobots were ruthless fighters that tortured and killed their prisoners, so that was why it was all right for the Decepticons to do the same to theirs. Was everything he had ever been taught nothing but lies?

Scattershot didn't know what to think anymore.

* * *

><p>Sam stared at his phone for a long moment. Finally gathering his nerve, he took a deep breath and dialed Carly's number. The phone had barely even started its first ring when Carly picked up.<p>

"Sam! Are you alright? The base attack-it's all over the news and it sounds like it was really-"

"Carly, it's okay!" Sam replied quickly, hearing the worry in her voice and hoping to reassure her. "The attack caught everyone by surprise, but no one was really hurt too badly, and anyone who was is going to be fine. I wasn't hurt, but Bumblebee…well, his leg is more or less broken."

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Ratchet said his leg'll be fine, but he needs to stay off of it for a while and that means no Transforming; that's why we're not home yet. But, Carly, I don't know if he's going to be okay or not." Sam hesitated a bit before continuing. "Carly, Blaster was kidnapped by the Decepticons."

There was a long stretch of silence from Carly's end, and when she finally spoke up again, her voice was hushed and troubled. "Oh, no…that's horrible."

"I know," Sam replied bitterly. "Optimus had Prowl and some of the others go out to try and rescue him, but they couldn't find where the Decepticons went. Bee's taking it very badly and I don't want to leave him alone. He needs someone to be there for him tonight…you don't mind if I stay on base for the night, do you?"

"Oh, no…no, of course not." Sympathy and worry was in her voice now. "Knowing how much Bumblebee cares about Blaster…he's probably blaming himself."

Sam sighed. "Yeah, he is. Optimus even told him that it wasn't anyone's fault, but I can tell Bee still thinks it's his." He shook his head. "Well, I should probably get going; I don't want to leave Bee alone for too long. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Sam. I'll try to get over there as soon as I can in the morning."

"Thanks for understanding, Carly. Bye. I love you."

"I love you, too Sam."

Sam hung up his phone and pocketed it. With another sigh, he headed back towards the medbay. The night's events had been overwhelming for everyone, but Blaster being gone was the worst part. They had no idea where he was, either, and that just made it worse. Sam was upset and angry at the same time. Blaster was just a Sparkling, just a _baby_. Why would the Decepticons take him? It wasn't fair; Blaster hadn't done anything to deserve this. Sam wanted to leave the base and attempt to track down the Decepticons himself, but he knew that wouldn't be the best course of action.

Optimus was right-there wasn't anything more they could do at the moment. Another patrol would be carried out in the morning-in the daylight, they would hopefully have better luck.

And most importantly, Bumblebee needed him right now.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe paced back and forth in the quarters he shared with his brother and Fireflight. Right now, however, Sunstreaker wasn't here, and his only companion was Fireflight. The little red and silver Sparkling was sitting up in his berth, holding the stuffed owl Carly had gotten him, his optics tracking his caretaker's every movement.<p>

Despite what Optimus had told him, and despite Bumblebee's insistence that the blame was his alone, the silver mech still felt responsible for Blaster being taken. _If only I'd been a little quicker, Blaster would still be here and Bumblebee wouldn't be so upset right now. To use the human phrase, I screwed up big time. Bumblebee might not blame me, but I'll never forgive myself if something bad happens to Blaster while he's with those miserable 'Cons._ Sideswipe shook his head, overwhelmed with frustration and guilt. He'd always looked out for Bumblebee, especially back when the scout was very little. As Ironhide had been Bumblebee's caretaker, and Sideswipe's mentor, the two Autobots had been around each other often. Bumblebee had always looked up to him, and Sideswipe viewed the younger mech as a sort of little brother. When Ironhide had been killed, Sideswipe had also been hit hard by the loss. One of the ways he and Bumblebee had dealt with it was renewing their friendship, which had sort of grown distant ever since Bumblebee had left to go after the All-Spark with the original group of Autobots journeying to Earth so long ago. _How can I call myself his friend after this? Bumblebee trusted me to look after his Sparkling charge and I failed._

With an angry growl, Sideswipe stopped pacing and glared at the door to his quarters. Just where did the Decepticons get off on snatching up a helpless Sparkling like that? He'd known that they were scum, and this proved it even more.

A soft bout of clicking drew his attention to Fireflight. The Sparkling was looking at him in confusion, and Sideswipe felt even guiltier. His actions were probably upsetting Fireflight. He crossed to the berth and lifted the Sparkling up. As Fireflight snuggled close, a new, terrible thought occurred to Sideswipe. What if the Decepticons had managed to take more than one of the Sparklings? _Primus, it could have been Fireflight. It could have been Fireflight. _He still felt guilty about Blaster, but the thought that he could have lost Fireflight sickened him. Abruptly, he fully realized how Bumblebee must be feeling right at that moment. Another click from the Sparkling he held drew his attention back towards Fireflight.

"Hey, Fireflight. Sorry if I upset you. It's just, I'm worried about Blaster, now that he's gone."

"'Ster gone?" Fireflight asked. "Where go?"

Sideswipe shook his head, venting softly. "I don't know, Fireflight. I don't know."

Fireflight contemplated this as best as he was able to due to his young age for a moment, his purple optics narrowing. Then he smiled up at his caretaker. "Find, Sides! Find!"

"Find…" Sideswipe paused, thinking. Fireflight obviously didn't understand what had happened to Blaster-he was too young-and clearly thought the whole thing was a game. But, the silver mech had to admit, the idea of finding Blaster wasn't all that bad. In fact, maybe he could…

The door to the quarters opened, and Sunstreaker came in.

The yellow mech waved a greeting absently to his twin as he headed towards his berth. "All of the Sparklings are back with their caretakers now, and Mirage is still on guard duty in medbay. Prime's managed to chase those human reporters away, so things are finally quiet around here again. There's going to be a patrol first thing in the morning to track down the 'Cons, and…" Sunstreaker paused, noticing the odd look Sideswipe was giving him. "What?"

"Sunstreaker, could you watch Fireflight for me for a while? There's something I want to check."

"Uh, sure?"

The words had barely left Sunstreaker's voice capacitor when he suddenly found his arms full of red and silver Sparkling. He turned towards the door just in time to see Sideswipe going through it, pausing only to call over his shoulder, "Thanks, Sunny! You're the best!"

"Hey, wait! Sides, what…" Sunstreaker stopped as the door slid shut. He looked down to see Fireflight looking up at him expectantly. The yellow mech shook his head in exasperation. "Now what?"

Fireflight clicked eagerly at him. "Play, Sunny, play! Now!"

Sunstreaker vented wearily. He'd been looking forward to getting some recharge before it was time for him to take over guard duty in the medbay. So much for _that_ idea.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Sideswipe didn't meet any other members of Nest-human or Autobot-as he made his way back to the main hangar and exited it. He was grateful for that, as he had no doubt that if he <em>had<em> been caught by any of the others they would have tried to stop him from doing what he planned to do. Once outside, he looked around. He didn't know which way the Decepticons had gone when they had fled, but judging by the scorch marks left behind by their weapons fire, he should be able to make an educated guess.

The silver mech hesitated briefly, looking back over his shoulder at the main hangar. In all reality, he shouldn't be doing this. He knew perfectly well that storming a Decepticon hideout by himself was a bad idea, and, if he made the slightest mistake, he could be severely injured or even killed. But the thought of Fireflight-_it could have been him, they could have taken him, too_-and of how depressed Bumblebee had become, along with the guilt he felt and the fact that he _knew_, regardless of what anyone else said, that he was to blame for Blaster's being taken in the first place was more than enough to strengthen his resolve. Determination flared in him. He could do this. He _had _to.

"Where are you going, Sideswipe?"

Sideswipe whirled around in shock. Computron was hanging upside-down from a storage shed, watching him with curiosity in his optics.

"This doesn't involve you, Computron," Sideswipe muttered, turning back around and heading towards the gate.

"Whoa, whoa! Sideswipe, you aren't actually going to try and rescue Blaster by _yourself_, are you?" The little mech let go of the shed and flew up and around so he was hovering right in front of Sideswipe, at optic level, causing the silver mech to halt in his determined walk towards the base's exit. "That's dangerous, not to mention borderline _crazy_."

"I have to do this. It's _my_ fault they got him in the first place."

"You can't possibly do this on your own!" Computron shook his head firmly.

Sideswipe clenched his fists. "I'm not going to let you stop me, Computron. I don't want to hurt you, so please, get out of the way. I need to do this."

"Hey, who said anything about stopping you? I just said you couldn't do this on your _own_." Computron flew around and perched on the silver mech's shoulder. "Count me in."

Sideswipe turned his head and stared at the small black and silver mech on his shoulder. "You'll help me? You won't tell Optimus?"

Computron tilted his head to one side and smiled. "Hey, Blaster needs rescuing, correct? The sooner that's done, the better. If you plan on infiltrating a Decepticon base, you'll need the help of an espionage expert, like myself!"

Sideswipe allowed a small smile. "Thank you, Computron."

Computron waved a wing. "You can thank me once Blaster is safe and sound. Now, let's quit wasting time and get out of here, before someone spots us."

* * *

><p>In spite of Optimus Prime's prediction that recharge would not happen that night, once the excitement from the attack had worn down, most of the humans and Autobots had been able to get some rest. The Prime himself had taken Trailbreaker back to his quarters, although whether or not the Autobot leader had found recharge easy to come by was unknown. Knowing how seriously the Prime handled things, however, it was most likely that he was still very much online, trying to find the best way to deal with the aftereffects of the day's events.<p>

In the medbay, Bumblebee had fallen into recharge before anyone else, although it was a restless one. Will had brought in a cot for Sam and placed it next to Bumblebee's berth; the human had remained awake longer than his friend but had eventually fallen asleep. Firestorm was recharging quietly on the berth he had occupied ever since he had first been brought onto the base, and the Sparklings First Aid and Beachcomber rested in the two berths next to Ratchet's workstation. The medic himself was wide awake, going over some medical reports that were not really necessary, but he did not feel like recharging at the moment. Mirage, too remained online, still watchful from his post near the medbay door.

Ratchet vented in exhaustion and pushed slightly away from the desk he was working at. _These reports, what a mess, knew I shouldn't have waited so long to organize them in…_

_Ratchet?_ The faint comm interrupted his thoughts.

The medic turned around to see Bumblebee online and looking at him. The younger mech had pushed himself into a sitting position on his berth, although he was taking care to keep his right leg still so that the welds would continue to set. "Yes, what is it, Bumblebee?" Ratchet asked, keeping his voice soft so that he wouldn't disturb the medbay occupants who were still resting. This was the first time Bumblebee had said anything-via comm or otherwise-since he had insisted that the blame for Blaster's kidnapping was his alone, and the medic took this as a sign that the young scout was-however slightly-feeling better since the events earlier that night.

Bumblebee looked down at Sam where the human was sound asleep on the cot, before looking back up at the medic. _It's kind of cold in here. I'm okay, but…could you get a thermal blanket for Sam, please? So he'll be warm?_

Relief at the fact that Bumblebee wasn't letting his despair over Blaster's kidnapping get in the way of how he looked out for Sam filled Ratchet. "Of course, Bumblebee." He stood up, made his way over to the cabinet where the thermal blankets were kept, and took one out that was more or less human-sized. Carrying it over, he laid it over Sam. The human must have been really exhausted; he didn't even stir.

_Thank you,_ Bumblebee sent.

"Not a problem, Youngling." Ratchet paused, and considered Bumblebee for a moment. Although the young mech still seemed upset, there was an air of determination there that hadn't been present earlier. "Are you feeling better?"

_A little,_ Bumblebee replied. His optics were still pained, but there was a glimmer of resolve in them as well. _I realized that just feeling upset and letting myself be depressed won't help Blaster now. I need to focus on getting better so I can go out and look for him. And until then, I'll need to help out with the search any way I can._

"That's the right way to think, Bumblebee," Ratchet replied, a hint of pride evident in his voice. He sobered after a moment, though. "It's okay to worry about him, though, Youngling."

Bumblebee's expression faltered and he looked down for a minute, shuttering his optics in pain. _Ratchet, you know how easily Blaster gets upset. And…and he won't understand why I'm not there._ He unshuttered his optics and looked back up at the medic, the extreme anguish present in his optics once again. _He must be scared to death._

Before Ratchet could reply, an alert sounded at the door, which had been locked for security reasons after Optimus had left with Prowl earlier that night. The medic looked up. "That must be Sunstreaker, coming to take over the guard."

Ratchet's speculation was confirmed a second later when Sunstreaker's voice came through the door.

"Could someone…get the door please? My arms are kind of full…"

"What?" Ratchet asked, puzzled. He walked over to the door and entered the code to unlock it. When the door slid open, the medic blinked in surprise at the sight that greeted him-Sunstreaker standing there, an exasperated expression on his faceplate as he struggled to hold a very wriggly Fireflight.

"Thanks, Ratchet. Hey, is it okay if I have Fireflight in here while I'm on guard duty? Sideswipe kind of dumped him on me and I don't know if anyone else is able to Sparkling sit right now. I've tried to get him to recharge but he won't settle long enough-beats me how Sideswipe does it."

"If he _was_ in recharge, I might say yes, but seeing as how he's still awake…" The medic frowned. "Where did Sideswipe go so late?"

"I don't know. He said he needed to go check something and asked me if I'd watch Fireflight while he was gone, but that was almost three hours ago and he hasn't come back yet." Sunstreaker shifted his grip on Fireflight before continuing. "He's been feeling really guilty about Blaster, so I thought he'd gone on a walk to calm down or something, but I didn't think he'd take this long of a walk."

"Sideswipe, going for a walk? That doesn't seem like something he'd do, even if he's upset…" Ratchet's optics widened as the realization of just what Sideswipe was possibly doing hit him. "Oh, that aft-processored _idiot!_ What is he _thinking_? He's going to get himself _killed_!"

"What? What are you talking about? What's he doing?" Sunstreaker demanded.

_What happened?_ Bumblebee asked, looking from Ratchet to Sunstreaker in confusion.

Ratchet turned to Mirage. "Mirage, go and get Prime. Apologize if he's recharging and you have to wake him up. We've got another situation going on that's not a good one."

"What's going on, Ratchet?" Sunstreaker asked again, his voice now edged with worry at the medic's tone and actions. Fireflight, picking up on the older Autobots' anxiety, began to whine softly in distress, causing Sunstreaker to adjust his hold again. "Where did my brother go?"

"We should have expected something like this, but I honestly believed that Sideswipe would know better." Ratchet shook his head, and then looked evenly at Sunstreaker. "You brother is doing something that, however brave and noble it may seem, is exceedingly dangerous, not to mention an extremely poor decision on his part. I believe that he has gone to attempt to rescue Blaster…by _himself_."


	11. The Captive Autobot

**A/N**_**:**__ I spent the weekend in Ohio, and let me tell you, I saw some pretty cool abandoned factories, one of which is the perfect match for the ones the Decepticons use in this story. Only problem was that it was smack dab in the middle of a town, but eh, it's fan-fiction, so, on to the relocate mobile!_

_Also, that trip inspired me a lot to get this chapter done so quickly._

_Remember how I said there was one more new Autobot that was going to join the group? Well, in this chapter, we finally get to meet him! Interesting fact: The language Diesel is speaking at first is Chinese. This is a nod to the novelization of the first Transformers movie; where the first language the Autobots speak in attempt to communicate with Sam and Mikaela is Chinese. Also, please note that I do not speak Chinese. I had to look up the words I wanted to use, so I apologize in advance if they're used incorrectly._

_I swear these short chapters will end soon. That being said, I have a couple of other projects (drawing, not writing) that require my attention next, so I won't be working on the next chapter for a short while. But as soon as I'm done with the other stuff, I'll get back to writing, I promise. _

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Ten-The Captive Autobot**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 5,798**

* * *

><p>HE WASN'T LOST. AS HE LOOKED AROUND, studying his new surroundings, that was the one thing the steely gray Autobot mech kept trying to convince himself of. Yes, he certainly wasn't lost.<p>

He just didn't know where he was. Not exactly, anyway.

What he _did_ know was that he was on Earth, that he was (hopefully) relatively close to where the other Autobots were, and that even though he'd made planetfall successfully, there were no vehicles of the right size and mass nearby for him to trans-scan for an alternate mode, which he found disappointing. Fortunately, however, he'd been able to connect to a nearby network and download the language files that he needed to get by on the planet; he'd even picked out an Earth name he liked that was as close as he could get to what his name actually was in Cybertronian-Diesel. However, the network he had connected to was not the Autobot network…and that was troubling.

Diesel had been following the transmission sent out by Optimus Prime, tracking it long enough to make sure he was heading towards the right place on the planet. However, when he'd gone to make a final check before he began planetfall, the transmission signal had vanished, and no amount of searching he had done had let him find it again. He hadn't been able to remember the exact location he needed to land at, but he had been able to recall the _general_ location. Upon landing, the first thing he'd done after exiting his cometary mode had been attempting to contact his allies via his long-distance communications. However, he'd been shocked to discover the system wasn't working at all. Short range comms were up, but with no Autobots nearby and no way to track which direction the base lay with the signal no longer transmitting, he had no idea which way to go. He could make a guess, of course, but if he guessed incorrectly and went the wrong way, it wouldn't do him any good.

Mentally he berated himself for not contacting the Autobot base earlier. If he'd commed them before he'd gotten close enough to begin planetfall, maybe he would have gotten through before whatever it was that caused the signal to vanish had happened.

The gray mech looked around again, and glimpsed a faint glow on the horizon to the east. Human civilization, he guessed-and going by what the transmission had held, where there were humans, there would be Autobots to protect them. Heading towards the lights would be his best bet.

A strange noise to his left met his audios. Diesel paused, listening. He hadn't been on very many organic planets, but he recognized the sound-it sounded like something moving through the plants growing around him. Humans?

If it _was_ a human, it wouldn't do to frighten it. He searched through the Earth languages that he had access to. There were so many! Which one was the right one? He decided to try the one that appeared to be spoken by the largest amount of people on the planet. Hopefully, that would be the right one.

Keeping his voice soft so that he wouldn't frighten whoever was out there, he hesitantly called out. "Ni hao?"

There was no direct answer, but he heard the rustling sound again, and he could swear that he also heard whispering, but it didn't sound like the same language he had been speaking. It almost sounded _Cybertronian_…but that was impossible. If it was an Autobot, they wouldn't be hiding. And it couldn't be a Decepticon; Optimus's transmission had said that the war was over. It had to be a human. Had to. _Wrong language, then_, he thought. _Must be._ _But which language is the right one if not that one? Agh! If the Autobot network was working, I'd know._

Before he could try another greeting in a different language, he heard footsteps-heavy footfalls that sounded like they were coming from something his size…or larger. Whatever it was, it wasn't a human; he knew from the information he had gathered upon arrival that humans were small compared to Cybertronians. A feeling of unease swept through him and he whirled around. What he saw _was_ another Cybertronian, not one he recognized, red-armored and taller than he was, and one look let Diesel know that he was in trouble. The other mech's red optics were enough to tell him that.

The Decepticon smirked at him. "Not lost, are you, Autobot?"

Even though the Decepticon's short sentence was enough for Diesel to tag and adapt to the language he assumed was spoken in the area of the planet he was currently in, he didn't stop to acknowledge that fact. He'd never seen much combat, even back on Cybertron, and he'd gone a long time without fighting at all, but Diesel knew exactly what to do. Without speaking a word, he shifted the panels on his right forearm into his plasma weapon and fired.

The Decepticon dodged, laughing derisively. "Too slow, Autobot! Fire away, it won't matter. No one's here to help you." He leaned back in closer. "But listen! Here come others to help _me_."

The sounds of running Cybertronian footsteps behind him, along with the telltale noise of charging weapons, startled Diesel enough that he broke the first rule of combat-he turned his back on his enemy, looking to see just what numbers he was dealing with.

It was a mistake he soon regretted.

A sudden crashing blow to his back sent him staggering off balance, but he somehow managed to keep on his feet. He halfway turned around to fire at his first opponent, but the Decepticon was ready for him, bringing an armored fist savagely onto his head.

Diesel went down hard. The Decepticon hadn't hit anything vital, but the Autobot was positive one of his optics was cracked and he could feel the Energon leaking from a gash above said optic-the left one. The ground seemed to be spinning; he was having trouble focusing, but he was aware of the Decepticon standing over him triumphantly.

"Thanks for volunteering," the Decepticon sneered. "You no longer have any use or need for your weapons, Autobot."

There was a sudden, horrible pain in his forearm, and Diesel abruptly realized what the Decepticon was doing…he was literally being _disarmed_. He struggled to get away, but the pain increased until, with a nauseating ripping and crunching sound, his weapons gave out. Then he could feel more Energon leaking from his arm, and there was pain so intense he thought he was going to go in to stasis.

And then, finally, mercifully, there was nothing.

* * *

><p>All in all, all of the parts of their mission had been a relative success. The Decepticons regrouped at their abandoned factory hideout with the information they needed and an Autobot captive. True, they had lost Scattershot, but he was expendable <em>anyway<em>, so his loss wasn't important or worth worrying about. However, while in all appearances things had gone smoothly, once again there was friction in the ranks. Howlback and Skyjack stood quietly by, watching the events unfold as Salvo and Bullseye once again argued over the correct way to perform their tasks.

"Rough him up a _little_, you fragging _idiot!_" Salvo snarled. "Not give him an injury that sends him into _stasis!_ The only reason I allowed you to go in ahead of us to capture him was because I thought you were competent enough to follow orders, for once. But apparently I was wrong!"

Bullseye snorted. "Shut the slag up, Salvo. I captured him, didn't I?"

Salvo had had enough of Bullseye's disrespect and condescending attitude. With another snarl, he punched the red mech upside the head, hard enough to knock him down but not hard enough to cause him any significant damage. "Just consider yourself lucky that we have members amongst our group that know how to treat injuries like the ones you gave that Autobot. But next time you cause something to go wrong, rest assured that no medic will be able to treat you from what _I'll_ do to _you_."

Bullseye got back to his feet, rubbing his faceplate and shooting a hate-filled glare at Salvo, but he didn't say anything more.

Salvo ignored Bullseye then, turning his attention to Howlback and Skyjack as the two espionage unit members stepped forward. "Right then, you two. What was it you wanted to show me?"

"It isn't me," Howlback said, dismissively flicking her tail. "Skyjack is the one who found this. Show him, Skyjack."

Skyjack had been hiding something in his hands. At Howlback's command, he uncovered it and held its contents forward for Salvo's inspection.

"Is that…a _Sparkling?_" Salvo's voice was low with disbelief as he looked over the tiny, red-armored mech that sat on Skyjack's upturned palm. The little mech looked back at the Decepticon Second-in-Command with wide purple optics. It was indeed a Sparkling, there was no denying that. But how had the Autobots come by him?

"A Sparkling?" His argument with Salvo forgotten, Bullseye came over and looked over the little mech. "But I thought there weren't any femmes left alive amongst the Earth Autobot ranks. How could they have had a Sparkling there?"

"I think I know where they got him," Salvo mused. "Remember the Hatchlings we left in Africa-the ones we figured all died? The Autobots must have found him there and taken him in."

"The Autobot I found with him mentioned that there were 'others'. Maybe more Hatchlings survived than just this one," Skyjack offered.

"Interesting. So they kidnapped Decepticon Hatchlings and are corrupting them with Autobot ideals, no doubt. Once we're in a position to do so, I have no doubt Cyclonus will want us to collect the others and return them to where they belong-with us. This is a start." Salvo took the Sparkling from Skyjack to get a better look. "This one is awfully runty, though. He'll never be good in a combat position. Espionage, maybe."

"Autobot said his name was Blaster," Skyjack responded.

"Unusual name for an Autobot," Howlback murmured, giving the tiny Sparkling an odd glance. "It's too violent-sounding for their tastes."

"If he's such a runt, why even bother keeping him?" Bullseye growled. "He's just going to be an extra mouth to feed, and we don't have the resources to give him a forced upgrade. His arms aren't suited for built-in weapons, anyway. Too small." He poked the Sparkling's arm roughly.

Blaster whimpered. He didn't know who these bigger Cybertronians were, and he didn't know where he was. He was scared. Where was Bumblebee? Bumblebee _always_ came for him when he was scared. The Sparkling looked towards a door in the room, expecting his caretaker to come through it any minute and take him away from these new, mean Cybertronians who had taken him, but nothing happened, except the mech holding him roughly grabbed his arm. Blaster whined louder, letting his discomfort be known. He'd been tossed around, poked, and grabbed ever since the flying one had taken him from Sideswipe; these new Cybertronians were being too rough with him, and he didn't like it. The red one moved to poke him again, and Blaster dealt with his annoyance towards the red mech the only way his young processors could come up with.

"Nyah!"

"Arrrrgh!"

The loud scream from the red mech was the breaking point. All the stress and fear and discomfort came together and overwhelmed the little Sparkling. It was far too much for him to deal with due to his young age, and Blaster began to wail as loud as he could.

"_**AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"**_

"Ah, great, Bullseye, look what you did!" Salvo growled.

"What the slag did you expect me to do?" Bullseye snarled right back, clutching his hand close. "The stupid little fragger _bit_ me!"

"So he's spirited despite his small size," Salvo mused, although the Sparkling's loud, distressed cries made him wince. "Well, we'll be able to put that to good use once he's older. And I see how he earned his name-blasting sound, not weapons fire. Interesting. That's something that will gain a new meaning once we make him a proper Decepticon again."

"But we need someone to take care of him until he's older or we have the means to force-upgrade him," Skyjack reminded Salvo.

"Howlback?" Salvo asked, looking down at the blue-armored espionage expert.

Howlback cast another odd look at the wailing Sparkling, then growled and shook her head. "Oh, no. Not _me_."

"Why not?" Bullseye demanded, still nursing his bitten hand. "You're a femme."

"I'm a _Cassette_," Howlback declared proudly. "A Cassette with a broken Bond, but a Cassette nonetheless. You know what that entails. I don't have the normal instincts of a femme because Cassettes can't have Sparklings of their own. I'd be useless looking after him."

"_No one_ here has any experience, _proper_ experience, with taking care of a Sparkling anyway," Bullseye grumbled, examining his hand. "If that's what you want, why don't you just hand him over to our Autobot prisoner to look after until we come up with a better idea?"

Salvo starred at the red mech in surprise. "Bullseye…"

Bullseye glared up at the Second-in-Command, expecting another scolding. "What?"

"That was a _good_ idea."

The red-armored mech shrugged, looking back at his bitten hand. "Happens all the time. If you weren't so thick-processored, you'd notice it more."

Choosing to ignore Bullseye's last scathing remark, Salvo turned back to face Howlback and Skyjack. The still wailing Blaster forced him to raise his voice again, but he wouldn't have to deal with it much longer. "The Scalpel drones should finish the repairs on the Autobot soon. Since we're being gracious enough to allow him a place to stay…" He paused and smirked slightly before continuing. "He can repay our kindness by babysitting for us."

"What if he doesn't know how to take care of a Sparkling?" Skyjack questioned.

"We'll just have to…_convince_ him…that he actually _does_."

* * *

><p>Diesel came back online with a groan. His helm still ached, and his arm was throbbing from where the red-armored Decepticon had ripped out his plasma weapon. He shifted slightly and raised a hand to his aching helm, and felt something scurry down his arm and heard a small, metallic thump as whatever it was hit the floor. He unshuttered his optics just in time to see one of the drones that the Decepticons used as medics-a Scalpel-scurrying away from him.<p>

Suddenly curious, he lowered his gaze to his right arm, and was surprised to see that, even though his weapon had not been returned to him, the wound were it had been had been patched. It still hurt, but it was more or less taken care of. He touched the place above his left optic where he knew there had been a gash caused by the Decepticon hitting him. It, too, had been patched up, and the crack in his optic, while still there, was beginning to auto-repair slightly; but seeing as how optic injuries were slow to heal on their own, it was obvious the repair sequence had been sped-up somehow, no doubt by the Decepticon medic drones. Diesel felt a wave of confusion. _Why would the Decepticons attack me, only treat my injuries? It doesn't make any sense._

Still holding his helm with one hand, Diesel managed to sit up. Despite the treatment his injuries had received, he didn't feel like looking around, but he knew that he needed to. If there was the slightest chance that there was some way he could escape from the Decepticons, he needed to find it, and fast. Forcing himself to ignore his still-aching injuries, he looked around the room he was being kept in. It was a large, high-ceilinged room with windows high up on the walls. If he'd still had a weapon, he'd have been able to shoot one of the windows out, but it would be a pointless effort regardless; he wasn't tall enough to reach one of the windows even if he could have broken one.

There was also only one door in the room, and his attention was quickly drawn to it when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the other side and…wait, was that _crying_?

The door banged open with a loud _crash,_ and a tall, black-armored mech he hadn't seen before stood there. The crying sounds were louder now, but Diesel couldn't see where they were coming from.

"You. Autobot." The Decepticon's voice was low and aggressive.

"What?" Diesel answered, his voice surly. He was in no mood to be cooperative, especially with a Decepticon.

"My name is Salvo, and I am in charge here. We have treated your injuries, and now you will repay our…kindness." The black-armored mech placed something on the floor, and, as Salvo moved away, Diesel was finally able to get a decent look at what it was that was crying. His systems froze at the sight. It was a _Sparkling!_ A little mech Sparkling. But how?

Blaster's cries diminished somewhat when the mean Cybertronian who had been holding him placed him on the floor. There was another new Cybertronian in front of him, but this one was different from the ones who had been poking and prodding him. The little Sparkling met the new Cybertronian's optics. Blue. He recognized the color. The mean ones all had red optics. Bumblebee and the others all had blue optics, except for Wheelie-but Wheelie still had a bit of blue in his optics-and the others his size, but that was ok. Blue meant they were nice. Blue was _safe_. Blaster knew that if he could get to this new mech, he would be safe, too.

Blaster crawled over to Diesel as fast as he could and latched onto the older Autobot. He was still crying, but his wails were softer. Instinctively, Diesel put his arms around the Sparkling protectively, and Blaster huddled as close to the older mech as he could get. This mech wasn't Bumblebee. But he had to be better than those mean mechs who had done nothing but poke, prod, and grab him.

"What is this?" Diesel demanded, looking from the still-crying Sparkling to Salvo in surprise.

"Sadly, none of us present at the moment have any experience when it comes to taking care of a Sparkling," Salvo growled coldly. "So _you_ are going to take care of him."

"But I don't know anything about Sparklings!" Diesel protested.

"Well, I suggest you learn, and learn _quickly_. Because if that Sparkling dies, so will you. And since we need you alive, that would be so very sad." Without a backward glance, Salvo turned and exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Diesel stared at the closed door in disbelief for a moment. Soon, however, the little Sparkling's continued crying caused him to look down at his new charge. The Sparkling looked back up at him with wide, frightened optics. _His optics are purple. Never seen a Cybertronian with purple optics before. _The Sparkling's armor was a bright red, for the most part, with bits of gray and silver showing on his arms, faceplate, and fingers.

He was the tiniest Sparkling Diesel had ever seen, and it was obvious he was scared to death. Diesel hadn't been lying when he said he didn't know how to take care of a Sparkling. He'd never had any younger siblings and the only Sparkling he had ever been in close proximity to-one that he thought had been named Bumblebee, but that was a long time ago and his memory wasn't perfect as he had been young himself at the time-had been relocated to one of the distant outer colonies on Cybertron, while he had stayed with another group of Autobots in one of the inner colonies. Needless to say, as a result, he'd never been told or shown what to do to take care of a Sparkling.

He'd have to figure it out now, though. Not because the Decepticon had told him to. He would do it because this Sparkling needed someone to look after him. Shifting his hold so that he was cradling the Sparkling with both arms, Diesel looked over him again.

"Well, you might be small, you might be scared, but you look perfectly healthy to me," he told the Sparkling, taking care to keep his voice soft and gentle. "Someone on this planet must love you very much…and I'm willing to bet that whoever it is isn't a Decepticon."

The Sparkling's cries faded into faint whimpers as Diesel's tone of voice worked to calm him down. He looked back up at Diesel, his optics still wide.

"Can you tell me your name, little one?" Diesel asked, although he didn't know if the Sparkling was old enough to understand the question.

"Bl'ster," The Sparkling mumbled, still whimpering.

"Blaster?" Diesel asked, trying to fill in the whole name, guessing the Sparkling was unable to pronounce it himself.

"Uh-huh."

Diesel smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Blaster. My name is Diesel."

"Sel?"

"Diesel."

"Sel."

Diesel vented. "I guess that's as close to my name as you can get." He thought for a moment. He had no idea of how far he could get in a conversation with Blaster, seeing how young the Sparkling was, but maybe he could get _some _answers, at least. "Blaster, how did you get here?"

Blaster began to click quietly. "Bad ones take." Suddenly anxious, he looked back up at Diesel. "Where Bee?"

"Who?" Diesel asked, confused.

"Bee! Where Bee?"

"I don't know," Diesel admitted. "I don't know where Bee is." _Or who he is_, he added silently. It was obviously a nickname. He could only think of two Autobots that might be this "Bee"-Autobots, because there was no way in the Pit that this Sparkling would be so healthy if Decepticons were caring for him. There was Bulkhead, but Bulkhead didn't seem the type to concern himself with raising a Sparkling. And there was the one he thought was named Bumblebee. If Bumblebee was still alive, though, he would still be a Youngling. Too young to have a Sparkling. So, who exactly was it that Blaster wanted to know the location of?

Blaster's lip plates trembled, and he began to cry again. Diesel was nice, but he wasn't Bumblebee. He wanted _Bumblebee_. He wanted Bumblebee to pick him up and hold him and chase everything bad away. The Sparkling cried harder, unable to understand why his caretaker wasn't coming to soothe away his fears like he always did.

"Oh, no, no, don't do that," Diesel said helplessly, holding Blaster closer. The Sparkling latched onto his armor but continued to cry. _Primus, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm not used to Sparklings. _"Come on, you're okay. Stop crying, please? Please?" When Blaster's cries still continued, Diesel desperately tried a different tactic. "Blaster…is Bee brave?"

Blaster paused in his crying long enough to consider that as well as he could due to his young age. "Uh-huh. Bee b'vest _ever_."

"Do you think you can be brave like Bee? Do you think you can stop crying and be brave just like Bee?"

Blaster thought for a moment, the expression on his faceplate extremely serious. Finally he gave a tiny nod. "'kay."

Diesel smiled in relief. "Good." An idea struck him then, and he mentally slapped himself for not thinking of it sooner. He had no way of knowing when Blaster had last had any Energon. The poor Sparkling could be starving, and that would only add to the distress he was already feeling. He didn't have any Energon specifically made for a Sparkling, but he had watered down the Energon he had been carrying with him so that it would last longer. It should be alright to give to the little Sparkling. Opening a hidden compartment on his leg, he pulled out a small cube of very pale pink Energon. Upon seeing it, Blaster let out a slight squeal and reached towards it.

"Pnk!"

"Is that what you call Energon?" Diesel asked, amusement filling him in spite of the dismal situation the two of them were in. Blaster seemed to understand most of what the older Autobot was saying pretty well, but didn't have a good grasp on word pronunciation yet. He made a mental note to find out just how old Blaster was…if they ever got out of this prison, that is.

Blaster continued to squeal eagerly. "Pnk!"

"Alright, alright. Here." Diesel held the cube up to Blaster's mouth, and the little Sparkling drank eagerly. He hadn't had any Energon since before the attack on the base, and desperately needed the feeding. The fact that this Energon was different than his regular formula was not lost on the Sparkling. Blaster pulled away from the cube for a moment; he didn't really like this Energon. But the fact that he needed the feeding won out, and he latched onto the Energon cube again. He emptied the cube relatively quickly, some of the Energon getting all over the little Sparkling due to him being used to bottles instead of cubes, but he was so hungry he didn't care how messy he was getting. Even though it was watered-down, the Energon was still richer than the formula Blaster normally drank. As a result, it filled his tanks up faster, which resulted in him quickly growing drowsy. As was typical for a Sparkling his age, Blaster tried to fight it, but the day's events had taken their toll, and he was quickly losing the battle against falling into recharge.

After Diesel wiped the Sparkling clean of the excess Energon, Blaster snuggled against him, trying to get as close to the older mech's Spark as he could. Diesel's Sparkpulse was different from Bumblebee's, but it was an instinctive comfort the Sparkling could not help wanting, and even though Blaster still wanted his caretaker, it was enough to make him feel safe for the moment.

As Blaster finally succumbed to recharge, Diesel looked around the room once again, before looking at the now-recharging Sparkling he held. He was more determined than ever to find some way to escape.

Only now, it wasn't just for himself. He needed to get Blaster out of here before the Decepticons came back for him. Diesel didn't know what the Decepticons had captured him for, but he had a pretty good idea why they wanted Blaster.

And there was no way in the _Pit_ he was going to let any miserable Decepticon brainwash the little Sparkling into becoming one of them.

* * *

><p>Guards had been posted at every entrance to the abandoned factory. Two guards were also present on the inside, one on each side of the door that led to the room in which they were keeping their Autobot guest and the Sparkling Skyjack and Howlback had managed to snatch. While Salvo fully believed that there was no way the Autobot could escape, or that the other Autobots would track them down-the signal dampeners worked wonders-he knew that they couldn't be <em>too<em> careful. They had carried out Phase One perfectly, and there was no reason to take unnecessary risks.

_Salvo to Cyclonus,_ the black-armored mech transmitted via his long range comm. _Cyclonus, are you there?_

The Decepticon Leader's reply was immediate. _Yes, Salvo, I'm here. What do you have to report?_

_Phase One has been successfully carried out. Howlback has isolated the information we needed and is holding it for your inspection. We have also secured the Autobot captive._

_Good, good. I knew that I could trust you and Howlback to carry out your tasks._

_Any further orders?_ Salvo questioned.

_Yes. I am finalizing the next part of the plan-Phase Two. When the details are complete, I will contact you and tell you that you need to return,_ Cyclonus responded. _Until then, stay put._

_Understood._ Salvo ended the transmission and turned to Howlback, who he had been allowing to listen in on the whole conversation. Not that he would have been able to stop her, really; she could have eavesdropped easily on her own. But the orders concerned her, as well, so he had let her listen.

Howlback looked up at him. "You didn't tell him about the Sparkling," She stated, mild curiosity in her tone. "Why not?"

"There's no reason to tell him now," Salvo reasoned. "All he wanted us to report was whether or not we carried out our original tasks-not if we had carried out any new ones on our own. Besides, the plan is important. No need to tell him and possibly have him divert attention-that needs to be focused solely on the plan-onto the finding of other Sparklings. I don't think he would, but who knows? It's best to wait until we are back at base."

Howlback shrugged, flicking her tail as she settled her head back on her crossed forelegs. "If you say so. But don't you think he'll be angry when he finds out you didn't tell him?"

"He might, but it won't last." Salvo was confident about this. "Like I said, the plan is more important than the finding of a Sparkling. There will be plenty of time to find the others, and, if necessary, force-upgrade them all once the plan has been successfully carried out."

_Slag, I sound like Cyclonus now,_ the Decepticon Second-in-Command thought. _Just concern yourself with the plan and all that._

And based on what he now knew about the plan…he realized that Cyclonus had been right all along.

The plan would be the end of their troubles. Therefore, nothing was more important than insuring its success.

Nothing.

* * *

><p>Diesel had left the recharging Blaster in a pile of some sort of cloth he had found in one corner of the room while he explored their prison, once again searching for a way out that he was growing more and more convinced did not exist. The only possible ways that he could see were the windows (which were out of his reach) and an old rusty drainage grate, but he had already tried to move it and it was rusted fast in place. If he'd still had his weapons, he could have blasted it away, but, unfortunately, that was a luxury he no longer had. There was also the door, but it was no doubt heavily guarded on the other side, eliminating it from the all-too-small list of possible escape routes.<p>

So, taking all this in, he was forced to conclude that, for the time being, there was no way out.

Angrily Diesel kicked one of the rusted, broken-down machines in the room. _Slag, useless!_

A faint whimper from across the room caught his attention, and he froze, mentally berating himself. Turning, Diesel quickly crossed the room back to where he had left Blaster. To his relief, he saw that his actions hadn't awakened the Sparkling; the little red mech was still in recharge. The whimper must have been a response to a dream the Sparkling was having. He covered Blaster with some of the cloth the Sparkling was resting on, and he quieted back down.

_Whoever his caretaker is, they're probably worried sick,_ Diesel thought. _I have to get us both out of here. But how can I do that? There's no way out!_

He snapped his head up, facing the door as he suddenly caught the faint sounds of voices outside. Standing up, he edged over to the door as quietly as he could and pressed an audio receptor against it so that he could hear what the Decepticons outside were saying.

"Has the prisoner made any trouble?" Diesel recognized that voice as belonging to the mech who called himself Salvo.

"None so far," came a second, unrecognizable voice. One of the guards, then.

"He's probably learned by now that there's no way out of there," a third voice added. Another guard, no doubt.

"Well, if he _does_ try anything, be sure to put an immediate stop to it," Salvo commanded. "The prisoner has an important part to play in our plan."

_Plan? What plan? _Diesel leaned closer to the door.

"But, Salvo, what do we need an Autobot for?" The first guard asked.

"That doesn't concern you at the moment." Salvo's voice was cold. "Just do your job and guard the prisoner." There was a moment of silence, then Salvo spoke up again. "But I can tell you this. That Autobot is going to meet a _very_ painful end."

_I'd like to see you try to finish me off,_ Diesel thought in a burst of uncharacteristic savageness. _You caught me by surprise earlier. I'll be ready this time._

"And what of the Sparkling?" The second guard questioned.

"If we can get hold of the resources, we'll force-upgrade him. It should be easy to do so _very_ soon," Salvo replied airily. "But, if not, we'll just have to raise him the old-fashioned way. Those Autobots have no doubt poisoned his processor with their ideals. We'll teach him the truth and then he'll be one of us. Properly. Continue your guard."

After Salvo's footsteps had faded away and several minutes of silence let him know that the guards where back to standing watch, Diesel backed away from the door.

He had to get himself and Blaster out of here. They had to get out _now!_

Even though he knew it was useless, Diesel resumed his search for a possible escape route. He had no intention of letting the Decepticons kill him, but it was what they had planned for Blaster that truly drove him back into action. A forced-upgrade was one of the cruelest things that could be done to any Cybertronian. Most of the time, the strain from the sudden change caused the recipient of the upgrade to go mad, and they usually didn't live very long.

Diesel no longer cared what the Decepticons were going to do to _him_. He was soldier. He ran the risk of dying every day. But Blaster was just a Sparkling. An innocent. He didn't deserve the cruel end the forced-upgrade would give him. And whoever his caretaker was, he or she didn't need to go through the pain of losing their Sparkling. Diesel made a silent vow to himself that moment-he would not rest until Blaster was safely back with his caretaker.

And_ Pit_ to the consequences to _himself_ he would experience to make sure it happened.

That was why, when the morning sunlight was starting to fall through the high, out-of-reach windows, Diesel was steadily working on loosening the rusted grate. It was hard work, it might be impossible, but he would not give up.

Autobots protected the innocent.

And Diesel was an Autobot through and through.


	12. The Rescue

**A/N**_**:**__ For those of you wondering why the Autobots didn't just ask Scattershot where the other Decepticons went…hopefully this chapter answers your questions. But you'll have to wait to find out why Scattershot is so conflicted about things. But if, for the time being, you want to think of Scattershot as being a younger, less bitter/battle eager Beast Wars Dinobot, go right ahead._

_For the song Bumblebee plays over his radio at the end of the chapter, I'll leave it up to you what you think it is. I was listening to the song Bridge of Light while writing it, so that's what I have in mind, but you can imagine any soothing, lullaby-type song you like in its place._

_I've also changed the characters featured in this story's description to be Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. While Sam and Bee's relationship is still very important to the story, Optimus has, as Prime, an even more vital role to the story's plot…you know, the Prime is the only one who can take on Unicron because of the Matrix of Leadership…that old thing. _

_Longest chapter yet, booyah._

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Eleven-The Rescue**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 17,126**

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><p>"WELL, CAN'T WE JUST STOP HIM? YOU know, call him back? <em>Something?<em>" Sunstreaker's voice held a rising note of panic. Despite his normally prickly, aloof attitude, Sunstreaker cared deeply for his brother and the news that Sideswipe was willingly putting himself in harm's way, possibly facing _death_, was more than enough to send the yellow mech into a worried panic.

Ratchet turned away from Sunstreaker and glanced at the dark screen of the computer that he usually used to keep track of what was going on in the medbay. However, it could also be used to track down and monitor the signals of any Autobots currently operating outside of the base. Unfortunately, with the Autobot Network down, it was useless in both functions.

"I would if I could, Sunstreaker. Unfortunately, with the Autobot Network down, we have no way of tracking his position. And our long range communications run through the network-so as long as it's down, we have no way to contact him."

_But you can all hear me, so that means that the short range comms are working,_ Bumblebee transmitted hesitantly, looking from Ratchet to Sunstreaker for confirmation. _Right?_

"Yes, they are working." Ratchet nodded. "The short range-comms are based on an Autobot to Autobot system in relatively close range. The long range-comms run through the network, which give them the extra signal boost they need to be used over long distances. With the network down, the comms have nothing to give them the extra power."

"Isn't Computron supposed to be fixing the network?" Sunstreaker demanded, shifting his grip on Fireflight, who had progressed from whining to whimpering as the tones of the older Autobots' voices made him feel uneasy. The yellow mech held the Sparkling closer, and Fireflight settled back down, although he continued to look at the older mechs in the room with confusion, unable to understand what was going on. "Why hasn't he gotten it back up yet?"

"Sunstreaker, the network was infected with a virus and then physically damaged. Even with Computron's expertise, it will take a long time to repair what has been broken," Ratchet replied, shaking his head with a frown.

"But we don't have _time_ to wait!" Sunstreaker cried out in frustration.

"We may not have a choice," Ratchet replied shortly. "That is why I sent Mirage for Optimus. He'll know what needs to be done."

"But-"

"What's all the yelling about?" A tired-sounding voice spoke up, interrupting any further arguments between the Autobots in the medbay.

Ratchet, Sunstreaker, and Bumblebee turned to see Sam, sitting up on the cot he had been sleeping on, rubbing his eyes blearily. Bumblebee warbled sheepishly, and both Ratchet and Sunstreaker shifted in unease.

"My apologies, Samuel," Ratchet said softly. "We did not mean to wake you."

"S'alright," Sam mumbled, rubbing his eyes one last time before lowering his hand and focusing on the Autobots. "What's going on?"

"Sideswipe has disappeared," Ratchet informed the human, his voice grave. "I believe that he has gone off in an _extremely_ foolish attempt to locate the Decepticons and rescue Blaster himself."

"What?" Sam asked, instantly alert.

"He left Fireflight with me and ran off a few hours ago," Sunstreaker explained. "He said he was going to go check something out, but he never came back."

"Does Optimus know?" Sam questioned as he climbed back onto Bumblebee's berth to sit next to the young Autobot.

"I sent Mirage to tell him he is needed here at the moment." Ratchet shook his head. "Sideswipe should have known better than to do something this foolish. He's going to get himself killed."

"But you're all assuming that he can even find where the Decepticons went," Sam pointed out. "I mean, no one could find them after they took…I mean…" He cut off abruptly, and looked up at Bumblebee. The look of pain in Bumblebee's optics caused the human to quickly look back down at his hands. "Sorry, Bee."

The young Autobot chirped softly, lightly touching Sam's shoulder with a finger before refocusing his attention on Ratchet. He'd promised himself that he would focus on recovery so that he'd be able to get out there and find Blaster quicker, and he wasn't going to stop now, despite the anguish he felt at Sam's accidental reminder of the Sparkling's abduction. He knew that Sam didn't mean anything by it. Anyway, he _was_ worried about Sideswipe, too. _Ratchet, Sam's right. Maybe Sideswipe won't be able to find the Decepticons. He might not be in any danger._

"I do not think that he would have left if he didn't believe with absolute certainty that he could find them," Ratchet mused.

"Find who?" Another voice spoke up.

Ratchet vented wearily, recognizing Firestorm's voice. _Primus, we've woken everyone up except for Beachcomber and First Aid._ "Sideswipe has gone missing, Firestorm. He's gone after the Decepticons."

The old Seeker's optics widened. "By himself? That is foolhardy."

"Tell us something we don't know," Sunstreaker muttered sulkily.

Firestorm tilted his head to one side. "Has Optimus Prime been informed of the situation?"

"He will be informed as soon as he arrives here." Ratchet nodded. "Mirage is getting him. Optimus will know how to best deal with this." _Yes, Prime will know what to do. But I have the feeling that Blaster will not be the only one we're looking for on the morning patrol._

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime knew that something was wrong the moment he opened the door to the quarters he shared with Trailbreaker and saw Mirage standing outside. The only reason one of the other Autobots would come to his quarters so late-actually, early, as it <em>was<em> technically morning even if the sun had not risen yet-was if there was something wrong, and the look on Mirage's face was enough to confirm that as being the case.

"Sorry if I woke you, sir, but…"

"It is all right. I was not recharging." The Prime glanced over his shoulder back into his quarters for a moment, then returned his attention to Mirage. "What is it, Mirage?" The Prime asked, taking care to keep the volume of his voice low so that he wouldn't wake Trailbreaker, who was recharging in his berth.

"Ratchet would like to see you in the medbay, sir," Mirage reported. The red mech looked from side to side, then lowered his voice. "It's Sideswipe, sir. He's run off-Sunstreaker said that his brother told him to watch Fireflight and then just left."

Optimus's optics narrowed in concern as he realized the implications behind what Mirage had just told him. "And Ratchet believes that Sideswipe has gone after the Decepticons by himself."

"I believe so, sir, even though he sent me to get you before he actually said so." Mirage shrugged. "As soon as Ratchet realized it…if that's what he really believes…he told me to bring you back to the medbay."

Optimus nodded in understanding. "I see." He turned and went back into his quarters to get Trailbreaker. After the attack on the base, he was reluctant to let Trailbreaker out of his sight. And, he knew, the other Sparkling Caretakers were the same with their charges, except, unfortunately, for Bumblebee, because of Blaster being taken by the Decepticons. Sideswipe must have believed strongly that he needed to leave, or he wouldn't have left Fireflight. The Prime carefully lifted Trailbreaker out of his berth; thankfully, the Sparkling didn't even stir. Once he was holding Trailbreaker securely, he turned back towards Mirage and followed the red mech to the medbay.

When the two Autobots arrived at the medbay, they entered to see Ratchet looking even more disgruntled by the recent events. Mirage remained at the door, taking up his guard post once again.

Optimus looked over those gathered in the medbay. Sunstreaker was holding a quiet Fireflight; the red and silver Sparkling looked uneasy, probably because he couldn't understand what the older mechs in the room were so upset about. Sunstreaker himself looked worried and anxious. Sam was awake and looked worried as well-he had returned to sitting on the berth Bumblebee was occupying. The young Autobot still had an air of sadness about him, but he looked far more alert and determined than he had since they had first learned that Blaster had been taken. Firestorm was also online, and had a concerned expression on his faceplate. All of the Autobots, Firestorm, and Sam, had been focused on Ratchet, but turned their attention to the Prime when he entered the medbay.

"Optimus," Ratchet said gravely.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Optimus ordered quietly.

Ratchet nodded at Sunstreaker, and the yellow mech spoke up. "I'd gone to the quarters I share with Sideswipe and Fireflight, a few hours ago, to get a bit of recharge before I took up my guard duty shift." He hesitated a bit before continuing. "Sides had this really weird look on his face. He asked if I could watch Fireflight for a while, because he needed to go check something out. I agreed, but he ran off before I could ask where he was going. I thought he was just going for a walk or a drive or something to cool down, because he felt so bad about Blaster being taken. But he never came back."

"And there's one other thing we've just discovered," Ratchet picked up when Sunstreaker finished speaking. "I was going to ask Computron if he could help us find Sideswipe, as he has experience with that sort of thing. But his comm isn't functioning, which means…he's gone off the base, as well."

"You believe that Computron and Sideswipe are in this together." It was a statement, not a question.

Ratchet nodded firmly. "I believe so, yes. It's too much of a coincidence that they are both gone, off the base, at the same time. Sideswipe probably intended to go alone, but I'm willing to bet Computron spotted him and offered his services to help track the Decepticons."

"Although it is good that neither of them are alone in their effort, this is still an extremely foolish decision for the both of them. I would have expected better from them." Optimus's voice was stern.

"But what are we going to do about it?" Sunstreaker asked, looking from Ratchet to Optimus anxiously. "My brother could be in trouble! We _have_ to help him!"

"We are sending out a patrol to look for the Decepticons who took Blaster," Optimus reminded Sunstreaker. "We will just extend it to look for Sideswipe and Computron, as well."

_Can I go on the patrol?_ Bumblebee asked, looking from Optimus to Ratchet pleadingly.

"Absolutely not, Bumblebee," Ratchet replied firmly. "The welds in your leg are still setting, and even if they _were_ completely set, you would still be in no condition to go on a patrol for at least a few days, as it will take some time before you regain your full range of motion in your leg."

_But…I…_Bumblebee's comm transmission faltered.

"I know you want to find Blaster." Optimus glanced sympathetically at the younger Autobot. Bumblebee was acting like any creator that needed to find his Sparkling, but he was still in no condition to go on a rescue mission. "But with your leg damaged, you are unable to Transform, and fighting is out of the question. If you were to get hurt because you went into battle already damaged, would that really help Blaster?" The Prime's voice softened. "You will do more good by remaining here and allowing your leg to heal, so that you can take care of Blaster when…not if…we find him and bring him home. He will need you to be here waiting."

Bumblebee shuttered his optics and vented quietly, before looking back at Optimus and nodding in agreement. Although it was perfectly obvious that he was still upset about not being able to go on the patrol, it was also clear that the young Autobot was determined to do whatever was best in the long run, and Optimus felt a surge of pride in the scout. _Okay, sir. Just…just let him know I'll be waiting for him, when you find him._

"Of course."

"I'll keep you company while you're waiting, Bee," Sam spoke up. "I mean, with the network down, my job here is kind of pointless-I can't really go over any intel when the computer system that houses it all isn't working. Besides, Bee, you're my brother, and I'm not going to leave you alone right now."

Bumblebee chirped gratefully at his human brother, and Sam smiled up at him.

"In the meantime," Optimus said. "We should all try to get a little more rest until morning. As exhausted as we all are from recent events, we would not do any good going out right now. And," The Prime continued, noticing that Sunstreaker had opened his mouth to protest, "We know that Computron and Sideswipe are together. Computron knows how to avoid being seen, and Sideswipe is a skilled fighter. We have to believe that the two of them will be alright on their own, for the time being. Despite the fact that what they are doing is foolish, I believe they will actually be a good team and help each other avoid danger. I do not like it, but with the long-range comms down there is little more we can do right now."

"You're right, sir," Sunstreaker admitted. "Sideswipe may like to show off, but I know that in a situation like this he'll listen to Computron and stay hidden."

Ratchet shook his head. "That may be, but there's still a likelihood that they won't even be able to find the Decepticons. Prowl and the others couldn't. Computron knows a great deal about tracking, but still…"

"If I may ask a question," Firestorm began hesitantly. When Optimus nodded at him, the old Seeker continued. "When the Decepticons snuck into the base, they did not set off any alarms, correct?"

"No, they did not," Optimus confirmed.

"I thought so." Firestorm looked thoughtful. "I believe that they may have been using a signal dampener…or more than one, and that is why they were not picked up on the alarm scanners."

"I know," Ratchet agreed. "We figured that out shortly after everyone who was injured was treated." The medic shook his head. "But we discovered it too late to do any good."

"Maybe not." Realizing he had everyone's attention, the old Decepticon shifted from foot to foot before offering, "Could it be possible that they have a dampener that would function on a far larger scale? Say, one big enough to conceal an entire base of operations? Maybe they have not gone far from here, after all. Perhaps they are capable of hiding in plain sight and are doing so."

"It is possible," Optimus mused. "We had assumed that they were serving as a guerrilla strike force, one with no base. Perhaps we are mistaken. That is why we could not find them-they are masking their signals somewhere…possibly even fairly close by, as you have suggested, Firestorm. How could I not have realized this sooner?"

"We were all tired and confused from the attack, and the news that followed," Ratchet responded quietly. "We haven't dealt with Decepticons for a year. Don't blame yourself for this oversight, Optimus. We all should have realized it."

"Why don't you ask the Decepticon you captured?" Sam asked. "Couldn't you just get the location of the base from him?"

"Prowl tried questioning him earlier, but did not get very much out of him-he said that the Decepticon is convinced that we are going to execute him and has refused to say anything, even after being told several times that we would not kill him." Optimus frowned. "Maybe I should speak to him."

_Do you think you might be able to get him to lead you to the Decepticon base?_ Bumblebee asked, feeling a faint trickle of hope entering his Spark at the thought that they might have a way to find Blaster.

"Not if he feels threatened. I must speak to him alone to avoid that." Optimus looked to Ratchet. "Ratchet, can you keep an optic on Trailbreaker while I go speak with this Decepticon?"

"Of course, Prime." Ratchet gestured towards an empty, Sparkling-sized berth.

After he had settled Trailbreaker into the extra berth, the Prime straightened and headed towards the door. Before exiting, he paused.

"Regardless of whether or not I can get the Decepticon to speak with me, I will return here afterward." He looked back at those gathered in the medbay. "And that is when we will decide what to do on our patrol."

* * *

><p>Scattershot huddled miserably in a far corner of the room the Autobots were keeping him in. Despite what the Autobot named Prowl had told him, and the fact that, aside from a brief questioning session (during which he had refused to say anything) the Autobots had left him alone, the orange-armored Decepticon still felt a strong sense of fear; fear that the Autobots were going to execute him. As far back as he could clearly remember, that was what he had been told awaited any Decepticons unlucky or foolish enough to get captured by the Autobots. It had been drilled so firmly into his processor that he couldn't believe Prowl was telling the truth when he said that Autobots didn't execute their prisoners. Scattershot was a Decepticon. There was no way he could believe an Autobot.<p>

Despite the fact that he had never really been treated well by the others, he found himself wishing desperately that he was back with the other Decepticons.

A sound from the other side of the door caught his attention, and he raised his head to look both fearfully and suspiciously at the door. Now what? They weren't going to question him again, were they? He'd thought they would have given up on that when he hadn't said anything the first time.

Why couldn't the Autobots just leave him _alone?_

Another thought surfaced. Oh, Primus…what if they had decided that, since he had refused to provide any information, he was not worth keeping alive any longer? They were probably coming to execute him right now! He faced the door, clenching his fists nervously. Let them try. They'd disabled his weapons, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. His fighting skills were poor, so he wouldn't last long, but fighting the Autobots was what a Decepticon was supposed to do…right?

His uncharacteristic resolve lasted until the door slid open, and he was able to clearly see the Autobot he had heard outside. Once that happened, his reluctant desire to fight simply evaporated-because he knew, that even if his weapons hadn't been disabled, there was no way he'd be able to even some close to matching _Optimus Prime_ in a fight. Scattershot had seen the Autobot leader fight before. He knew that he would go down fast if he even tried to fight Optimus, and that it would be _very_ painful. Scattershot lowered his fists and backed further away from the Autobot leader.

Optimus Prime looked over the Decepticon thoughtfully. The orange-armored mech was trying to stay as far away from him as possible, and the expression on his faceplate was nothing short of terrified. That wouldn't do. The Prime did not want the Deception to be so frightened in the first place, and Optimus also knew that this Decepticon would not feel inclined to share any information as long as he remained afraid. Best to deal with his fear, then.

"What is your name, Decepticon?" Optimus asked, taking care to make it obvious that he was not threatening the Decepticon.

At the tone of the Prime's voice, a look of confusion spread over the Decepticon's faceplate, and Optimus realized that the mech was fairly young. Not as young as Bumblebee, though; more the age that Jolt would have been if he was still alive-the Cybertronian equivalent to a human in their early twenties. It had been quite some time since the Prime had seen such a young mech among the Decepticon ranks.

"I-I'm Scattershot," The Decepticon stammered.

Optimus inclined his head towards Scattershot. "I have some questions for you, Scattershot."

"Please, if you're going to kill me, just do it now and make it quick," Scattershot blurted in a panic.

The Prime's optics widened, and then he narrowed them slightly in concern. "Kill you? No one is going to kill you, Scattershot. Did Prowl not already inform you of this?"

"You're Autobots. I'm a Decepticon. Why should I believe you?"

"Have you been harmed at any time following your capture?" Optimus questioned.

"Well, no, but…" Scattershot trailed off, looking confused again.

"Is this room," Optimus began, looking around once before refocusing on the confused Decepticon and continuing, "An uncomfortable one?"

"No." Scattershot looked down at his feet. His next words were said in a very quiet mumble. "But I do kind of wish that it had a window."

"A window, Scattershot?" Now it was the Prime's turn to be confused. "Why would you like to be in a room with a window?"

"So I can see outside," Scattershot responded in a very quiet voice, as if he was ashamed to admit it. "I like Earth. It's nice."

"I see." Optimus regarded Scattershot with interest. This was the first time he had ever heard a Decepticon actually comment about liking the planet both factions currently inhabited. Most Decepticons regarded all organic planets and the life they contained as inferior, something to be destroyed. He wondered briefly if Scattershot was telling the truth, but brushed that thought aside almost immediately. The Decepticon seemed sincere, and he knew that despite their tendency to lie, they prided themselves on their hate of anything organic. Of course, that was why Scattershot seemed ashamed.

"The others think I'm weird because of that," Scattershot muttered, continuing to talk as Optimus's reasonable tone had calmed him down slightly. No one had ever talked to him on equal terms like this before, not that he could remember, anyway. "I try to never mention it because they bully me when I accidently do say something about it. But I know you Autobots don't care, and anyways, you are allies with the organics, so…" He looked back up at the Prime, optics narrowing. "I don't even know why I 'm telling you this. We're not even on the same side."

"We were all on the same side, once." Optimus shook his head, his voice regretful.

"I'm too young to remember that." And yet, despite everything he had been taught, Scattershot found himself trusting Optimus. Would it really hurt to help the Autobots? He was their prisoner; it wasn't like the other Decepticons would find out. 'Cons never rescued their own who were taken captive. And, besides, most of the other Decepticons weren't all that nice to him. True, he had a couple of friends, but being one of the younger soldiers meant he was always shoved around and bullied. Did he really have any liking of being a Decepticon? He knew the answer. No, he didn't. But it was all he could clearly remember knowing. Could he really go against that?

Silence filled the room, and Optimus considered Scattershot again. He did not really seem to have his Spark into being a Decepticon, and yet he maintained firmly that he was. That, added with the fact of how young he was and that he had told Prowl that he had been told all Autobots tortured and killed their prisoners…the Prime was beginning to get a strong, horrible feeling about just what had happened to Scattershot to make him this way. He pushed that thought aside, however. He could discover if it were true later. Right now, he needed answers.

"Scattershot," Optimus began. He waited until the orange-armored Decepticon was looking straight at him before he continued. "Were you present in the battle in Chicago?"

"No," Scattershot replied, fidgeting. "I'm not good at fighting-I'm named Scattershot for a reason; my weapons never hit any of their intended targets when I fire. Megatron made me go with a group of others who launched some of the pillars into orbit."

"So you do not truly fight?" Optimus pressed.

Scattershot shook his head. "Not if I can help it."

"Do you believe in harming the innocent?"

"No," Scattershot replied, looking down again. "I never did. I've never wanted to hurt anyone, really. I'll fight if I have to, but I don't like it. Maybe it's because I'm no good at it."

"You have strong beliefs, Scattershot, and I respect that. That is why I am asking you for a favor. We need your help," Optimus requested. "We need to know what the other Decepticons are using as a base…and where it is."

"I can't tell you," Scattershot insisted, but he looked confused again. He shook his head. "I'm a Decepticon, I can't just…"

"If you do not help us, an innocent life may be lost," Optimus continued gravely. He didn't want to pressure Scattershot into helping. But Blaster's life could depend on whether or not the Decepticon agreed and cooperated.

Scattershot hesitated. He'd _never_ been asked to really help someone before, and was tempted to help simply because of that. But that was wrong…_wrong!_ He was a Decepticon; he shouldn't even be considering helping the Autobots! But the Autobots hadn't been any of what Megatron and the others had said. They weren't violent. They hadn't killed him. Both Optimus Prime and Prowl had not threatened him. The Autobots were treating him far better than any of the other Decepticons ever had, and he hadn't even been with them for one full day. Did that mean he'd been lied to his whole life? What if he was never meant to be a Decepticon in the first place? It would explain his "weird habits", as the others called them, but still…

He didn't know what to think anymore, even more than he had when Prowl had first spoken to him earlier. All of this was giving him a sharp processor ache.

"I don't know what to do," Scattershot whispered miserably.

"You can do the right thing," Optimus assured him. "You are young. You may have made some bad choices, but you can change that. This doesn't have to be one of them."

"But I'm a Decepticon," Scattershot insisted once more, but he sounded far less sure that he had before.

"You do not have to be." Optimus's voice was kind. "There are a few among our number who used to be Decepticons, but decided to become Autobots. They realized that their own personal ideals did not fit in with the other Decepticons, so they came to us, and they are now able to live according to those ideals. I am not asking you to join, and will not force you to join if you do not want to. What you decide is your choice and yours alone. I am just letting you know that it is an option. Regardless, the fact remains that we need your help."

Scattershot was silent for a long moment. Finally, just as Optimus was beginning to believe that the Decepticon wasn't going to say anything more, the orange-armored mech looked back up at him.

"I was the one who found the place they're using. I don't remember where it is exactly; I've never been good with remembering exact coordinates…but I can show you the way we came from it to get here." He fidgeted nervously again. "I'm not saying I'm switching sides, though, so don't think that's what I mean."

"I see. Thank you, Scattershot." Optimus nodded respectfully at young Decepticon. "I will tell the others this. In a few hours, we will be heading out on a patrol. You will come with us and show us where to go."

"Are you going to fight?" Scattershot asked.

"If we have to."

Scattershot fell silent again, and Optimus turned to leave. He had just reached the door when the Decepticon spoke up again.

"Will this _really_ help save an innocent life?"

Optimus shuttered his optics. "Yes, Scattershot, it will."

Fortunately, the young Decepticon didn't hear the unspoken _'I hope so'_ in the Prime's voice.

* * *

><p>When Optimus returned to the medbay, all of the Autobots who had been present there when he had left were still inside. Apparently, they had all been waiting for him to return, wanting to learn if the Prime had been able to get the answers they needed from the Decepticon prisoner.<p>

"Did he talk to you?" Sunstreaker asked as soon as Optimus entered the medbay. Fireflight had finally fallen into recharge and rested in one of the spare Sparkling-sized berths, so the yellow mech didn't have to worry about accidently upsetting the Sparkling with his tone of voice any longer. "Is he going to help us find the other Decepticons?"

"Yes. He was a little nervous at first, but he eventually agreed to show us to the Decepticon base." Optimus looked thoughtfully concerned. "Something about his behavior makes me believe that he went through a very traumatic experience at the hands of the other Decepticons when he was younger. I would like to learn more about him, but now is not the time for that. We have Autobots to find."

"I take it by that you have a plan, Optimus," Ratchet said, a look of interest on his faceplates.

"Yes, I do."

From over on the berth he still rested on, Bumblebee looked up hopefully, and Sam, still sitting beside his friend, also focused his complete attention on the conversation as it began.

"The plan is to catch up to Sideswipe and Computron, if possible. However, as they left far earlier, it is likely that they may have found the base by now and Computron is figuring out the best way to infiltrate it. We are going to learn from what the Decepticons did to us earlier-a small group of us will go to find the base. Prowl, Silverbolt, Red Alert, and I will make up the patrol, with the Decepticon Scattershot showing us which way to go. We will not directly storm the base, however; we will try to locate a back way inside. Once we do, we will do our best to locate Blaster quickly and get out of there once we find him."

"Only four in the patrol? Well, six if you meet up with Computron and Sideswipe before getting to the base," Sunstreaker spoke up, looking worried. "That doesn't sound like it'll work, sir."

"From what we saw when the Decepticons attacked us earlier," Optimus continued. "They do not come close to outnumbering us. Therefore, a small patrol will do fine for this mission."

"I want to go," Sunstreaker declared. "I need to help my brother."

Ratchet looked at the yellow mech pointedly. "Optimus has his reasons for not selecting you to go on this mission, Sunstreaker. And anyway, didn't Sideswipe ask you to look after Fireflight? You'll be helping him by continuing to do so."

An upset look crossed Sunstreaker's faceplate, but it vanished quickly as he reluctantly accepted the truth of what the medic had told him. "All right," he muttered. "I'll stay."

_Sir,_ Bumblebee transmitted hesitantly, looking at Optimus. _This is going to work, right? You'll bring Blaster back safely, right?_

"Yes, Bumblebee," Optimus reassured the younger Autobot with a nod. "We will not leave the Decepticon base until we find Blaster. And I promise we _will_ bring him home safely."

Bumblebee nodded gratefully. Although there was still the faintest trace of worry in his optics, his trust and faith in his leader was more than enough to reassure him that this mission would be a success. Blaster would be home soon, and the little Sparkling would be safe. His family would be together again.

"I will go get Prowl, Red Alert, and Silverbolt in a few hours' time," Optimus said gravely. "And then we will retrieve Scattershot from his room. We will leave, and we will not return without Blaster, Computron, and Sideswipe." He picked Trailbreaker back up and turned to leave the medbay to return to his quarters, hopefully to get a few hours' recharge before it was time to leave. Before he exited the medbay, he opened a private comm with Ratchet, so that the others present in the room, particularly Bumblebee and Sunstreaker, would not hear him.

_Ratchet, once the patrol leaves, I want you to prepare the medbay for casualties. I pray that it will be unnecessary, but we need to be ready, just in case._

_Understood, Optimus,_ the medic replied promptly.

As the door to the medbay slid shut behind him and he began to head back to the quarters that he shared with Trailbreaker, Optimus wished fervently that his order to the medic would be nothing more than an unnecessary precaution.

* * *

><p>The sky was just beginning to lighten as the sun started to rise. The sun's rays fell on and illuminated the old, abandoned factory, allowing the two Autobots hiding in the trees a decent amount of distance away to see it clearly.<p>

"That's it," Sideswipe whispered. "Has to be."

Next to him, Computron nodded in agreement. "Of course it is, Sideswipe. Why else would there be Decepticons standing on guard outside? That's no ordinary abandoned human factory."

"We found it, thanks to you figuring out that they were using a large-scale signal dampener to hide it." Sideswipe looked at the smaller Autobot gratefully before refocusing his attention on the two Decepticons who were guarding what appeared to be the main entrance to the abandoned factory. "Now, we just need to get in. I'll take out those guards." He began to step out of the line of trees he and Computron were hiding in, but before he could actually do so the smaller Autobot jumped in front of him, halting his progress.

"No, no, Sideswipe!" Computron shook his head. "When infiltrating an enemy base, you _never_ go through the _main_ door! That's rule number one, and besides, the guards would see you long before you could even get close enough to take them out if you go at them from here-there's no cover. They'll raise an alarm, and then we'll _never_ be able to get inside. I know you want to rescue Blaster, but we've got to think this through first. And right now, we need to find the _back _door."

"I think any back door will be just as heavily guarded as the front entrance," Sideswipe pointed out.

"Not the kind of back door _we're_ looking for. I know human factories; I've done research. Follow me, and keep a sharp optic out-we're looking for a water source. And keep quiet."

Sideswipe fell into step behind Computron as the small black and silver mech flew ahead, scanning through the trees for a water source. Sideswipe felt puzzled. Why were they looking for a water source? He failed to see how that would help them get inside the factory without the Decepticons noticing them. His brooding was cut off when Computron let out a triumphant "Ah-ha!" and shot forward through the trees.

When the silver mech caught up to the espionage expert, Computron was flying in a circle above a creek.

"This will do nicely," Computron announced when Sideswipe halted next to the water.

"_How_ is it going to help us?" Sideswipe questioned with a frown.

"It's simple, Sideswipe. We follow this creek to the factory. We do that, and we'll find a drainage pipe that we can enter through." Computron flew back and perched on the taller mech's shoulder. "Decepticons don't bother to do research concerning anything human-made, so I highly doubt they'll have guards at a simple drainage pipe. I don't imagine the trek though the pipe will be too pleasant, but it will be worth it in the end."

Sideswipe nodded in agreement. "You're right, Computron. Let's go-Blaster needs us."

They followed the creek, getting closer to the factory with each step they took, and finally it came into view. The sight of what was at the end, fixed into a high bank of one side of the creek, was enough for Computron's guess regarding the Decepticons neglecting to guard a drainage pipe to be proved correct. Sideswipe eyed the pipe reluctantly. Computron would be able to travel inside with no problems, but the pipe was slightly smaller than Sideswipe was. That meant he had two options-he would have to walk crouched over, or he would have to crawl through the who-knows-what mess that covered the bottom of the old pipe. Neither option appealed to him at all.

"You're right. This is _not_ going to be pleasant," Sideswipe muttered.

"If it makes you feel better, I won't fly through the pipe," Computron offered. "I'll walk through it, too."

Sideswipe looked into the dark tunnel of the pipe, and vented deeply. _For Blaster, to make up my failure of protecting him, and because Bumblebee is my friend,_ he reminded himself.

Computron flew off his shoulder and landed inside the pipe. "Ready?"

The silver mech nodded resolutely. "Let's do this."

* * *

><p>"What doing, Sel?"<p>

Diesel looked up from his work of trying to loosen the drainage grate to see that Blaster had come out of recharge and had crawled over to him. The little red Sparkling was staring at the grate curiously.

"I'm trying to get this off of here so we can get out," he explained. He gently pushed the Sparkling away from the grate. "You need to stay back, though."

"Why?" Blaster asked, using the one word question that every Sparkling loved to "torment" their caretakers with.

"Because you might get hurt," Diesel explained patiently. "This thing is old and rusty; a piece might fly off and hit you when I'm working on it. Just sit down and be quiet, okay?"

"'kay," Blaster replied agreeably, sitting and watching in fascination as Diesel continued to work on the grate. He hadn't really understood what Diesel had told him, aside from the "sit down and be quiet" part, but what the older Autobot was doing was more interesting than anything else in the room, so, for the moment, the little Sparkling was content to just watch what Diesel was doing.

Diesel felt a swell of triumph as he finally worked one of the old, rusted screws free from the grate. _Yes!_ That only left three that needed to be taken care of. He'd have to work harder and more quickly; who knew when the Decepticons would decide to come back into his makeshift prison cell.

A noise outside the door caught his attention, and he quickly fitted the now-loose screw back into its former location so it was not obvious it had been tampered with, sweeping all the loose flakes of rust into the grate. It had to be completely hidden, or any chase of escape would be lost. That done, he picked Blaster up and headed back towards the pile of cloth the Sparkling had recharged on the previous night. Just in time, too, for the door banged open and the Decepticon from earlier, Salvo, entered, accompanied by the red mech who had attacked Diesel the night before.

At the sight of the Decepticons, Blaster began to whimper in fright, clinging to Diesel tightly, all notions of being brave like his caretaker leaving his young processor as memories of how mean the Decepticons had been to him the previous night surfaced. They'd taken him away from home, poked and prodded him, and it had scared him. But more than that, there was a bad feeling about them that went deeper than what they had actually done to him, and Blaster wanted to be as far from them as possible.

"What do you want?" Diesel growled, holding Blaster close in an attempt to comfort the Sparkling before he got too upset.

"Just making sure that the Sparkling survived the night," Salvo commented dryly. "You see, we need you alive, so I would have hated to have had to kill you if he had offlined."

"No, you wouldn't. You'd enjoy every minute of it," Diesel replied, glaring.

"My, you're certainly hostile for an Autobot with no weapons."

Suddenly, the red-armored Decepticon shoved Salvo aside. "Stop making small-talk with him, Salvo! Who cares what Cyclonus wants him for? The only _good_ Autobot is a _dead_ Autobot! Why can't we just kill him _now_?"

Salvo whirled on the upstart mech, shoving him back even more forcefully than Bullseye had done to him. "Because, you slagging _idiot_, we need him alive in order to carry successfully out the plan Cyclonus has for our rise back to power! I warned you about what would happen if you caused me any more trouble, Bullseye. Do I need to carry out my threat?"

"If you Decepticons think I'll willingly help you in any plan you have, you're sorely mistaken and dumber than you look," Diesel said, more bravely than he felt. In his arms, Blaster continued to whimper.

"Who said anything about you _willingly_ helping us?" Salvo questioned darkly. "You no longer have a choice in the matter, Autobot. And neither," the Decepticon reached over and poked Blaster's arm roughly, causing the Sparkling to whimper even louder, "Do _you_. You two don't understand that yet. But you will, you will."

"If you try to hurt this Sparkling in any way, I'll…"

"You'll _what_, Autobot?" Salvo laughed derisively. "You're in no position to make threats."

"That doesn't matter! If you've fought Autobots before, you'll know that! I don't have any weapons but I can still-"

"_**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"**_

Diesel's words were cut off as Blaster, whose fear of the Decepticons had been pushed once again over the edge, started to wail loudly, just as he had done the previous night. Bullseye angrily stepped forward.

"Keep that little brat quiet, or I'll kill him myself!"

"Of course you would, Decepticon _scum!_ It'll be far easier for you to kill a defenseless little Sparkling than it would be for you to kill an unarmed, yet still battle-trained Autobot soldier, won't it?" Diesel held Blaster closer, trying to soothe the wailing Sparkling. Normally, the gray-armored Autobot was quiet and even-tempered, even somewhat shy, but he knew that his normal personality wouldn't do him or Blaster any good at the moment. He might not be actually fighting, but the bravery he usually only had _when_ fighting was active anyway. "That's all you're good for, isn't it? Threatening those who are weaker than you and are at a disadvantage! _Coward!_"

Bullseye glared, and opened his mouth to say something more, but Salvo cut him off. "Bullseye, enough. Listen, Autobot. You're in no position to threaten or harm us, and I can guarantee that no one is coming to rescue you. So just behave and keep that Sparkling quiet, and you won't be harmed…yet. It'll be easier for you both if you just accept your fate now. Leave them alone, Bullseye; there will be no killing-we need them _alive_."

Bullseye scowled, but he didn't protest, instead choosing to storm out of the room. Salvo made to follow, but paused, looking back at Diesel. "Remember what I said, Autobot. If you care about that Sparkling, you'll behave." With that, he turned and left, slamming the door shut behind him.

Finally left alone, Diesel turned his attention to Blaster. The little Sparkling was still crying, but his wails quieted when he noticed the Decepticons were gone. Still, he continued to whimper softly, refusing to let go of Diesel, desperate for any comfort he could get at the moment.

"Hey, hey, come on, you're not hurt," Diesel said in what he hoped was a calming voice. "The Decepticons are gone now. You're safe."

"Want go home," Blaster whimpered. "Go _home_."

"I know," Diesel replied, looking in the direction of the grate. He stood up and, still carrying a sniffling Blaster-who continued to refuse to let go of him-he headed back over to work on creating a means of escape for them both. "I'm working on it."

* * *

><p>In the drainage pipe below the floor of the factory, Sideswipe and Computron looked at each other. They had heard the entire conversation between the two Decepticons and the Autobot who was being held prisoner in addition to Blaster. They were both taking care to remain quiet as they listened to Salvo's chastisement of Bullseye, although the continued wailing of Blaster provided enough sound cover for a brief, quiet conversation between the two.<p>

"Do you recognize the voice of the Autobot they've got in there with Blaster?" Computron asked in a low whisper.

"I think so." Sideswipe frowned, trying to think of an English equivalent to the other Autobot's name. It only took a second for the name to click in his processor. "The language is different, but I can still recognize the voice, and I think it's a mech named Diesel. We were in one of the same combat classes in the Youth Sectors right before we graduated. I haven't seen him since then, though." The silver mech winced as he heard Blaster's continued wailing. _Primus, what are those miserable Decepticons doing to him?_

"Shh!" Computron hissed, just in time for Salvo's parting warning to be heard, followed by the slamming of the room door. The sounds of Diesel trying to soothe Blaster began to get closer to the grate above Computron and Sideswipe's position in the drainage pipe.

"I'm working on it," Diesel said. There was a pause, and then he continued in a softer voice. "Blaster, I'm going to sit you down, okay? I need both hands to get this grate off and I can't do that if I'm holding you. I promise you'll be fine. Okay?"

There were a few faint sniffles and clicks from Blaster, before he finally replied. "'kay."

It was silent for a few moments and Sideswipe and Computron remained quiet, trying to make sure that the Decepticons were really gone. This was finally confirmed when a clank of metal sounded, and then Diesel hissed quietly. "Slag."

Sideswipe opened his mouth, preparing to let Diesel know that he and Computron were there, but before he even began to speak, something small and metal fell through the grate and hit Computron squarely on the head.

"Ouch!" The black and silver mech covered his head with his wings, wincing as he did so.

Silence reigned again for a moment, and then Diesel called out, in a voice tinged with suspicion. "Who's there?"

"We're Autobots. We're friends," Sideswipe replied quickly. "We're here to get you and Blaster out."

Two small red and gray hands appeared on the edge of the grate, followed by the inquisitive face of Blaster. His purple optics lit up with recognition, and he squeaked happily, the sight of older Autobots he knew making him feel better. "Sides! Compy!"

"Heya, squirt," Sideswipe said with a smile. Computron waved a wing at the little Sparkling from his position next to Sideswipe.

"Back from the edge, Blaster. This thing is old and rusted. It's dangerous." Blaster's face disappeared, replaced with that of an older gray-armored mech, who studied them cautiously. "Sideswipe? That really you?"

"Yes, it's me. Been some time, hasn't it?"

"Yes, it has." Diesel looked concerned. "You said you were here to help us get out? Do you think that you can remove this grate from below? The Decepticons took my weapons when they captured me, so I've been working by hand and it's taking too long."

"Sure."

"Be quiet, though," Diesel added, looking over his shoulder, casting a worried glance at the door to the room. "There's at least two guards outside."

"Wait, Sideswipe. Let me take care of this." Computron flew up and hung upside-down on the grate, crawling along until he came to one of the screws that was still rusted in place. "Using your blade to cut through the grate will make too much noise. I'll get it loose, and then you can help Diesel get it out of the way." The small Autobot began to work on loosening the screw, using the claws on one wing. "You know, it's not as rusty on this side. Diesel, if you could work on scraping the rust away on _your_ side…"

"Alright." Diesel began to work on the task Computron had given him.

With two Autobots working to loosen the same screw, the job went a lot easier, and faster. Before long, they had not only removed the first screw they had been working on, but another one and they had even begun work on the last. There were a few moments when Diesel would signal for the work to stop as he went to check that the guards hadn't heard anything, but so far, there was no indication that their escape plan had been picked up on.

Finally, with one more tug, Diesel pulled the last screw free. "Done."

"Okay, then. Is Blaster back from the edge?"

"Yes."

"Alright. On three, ready? One…two…three!"

On 'three', Diesel pulled and Sideswipe pushed. The grate was far heavier than either Autobot had been expecting and was-even with the screws gone-still basically rusted in place, but after a few tries, they were finally to move it aside with surprisingly hardly any noise, leaving an opening into the drainage pipe below. Diesel peered cautiously down into the pipe. "Is it safe?"

"Safe enough. Now, get yourself and Blaster down here, quickly. We'll need to put the grate back into place as best as we can so they don't know where we went. At least, they won't realize straight away." Computron waved a wing frantically at the still-watching Diesel. "Hurry!"

Diesel nodded, and briefly left the other Autobots' range of sight before returning with Blaster held securely in his arms. Very carefully, he jumped down into the pipe. Fortunately, he wasn't all that tall for an Autobot, and could stand upright in the pipe quite easily. Sideswipe, who was taller-and also didn't have his arms full of Sparkling-carefully reached out of the opening, grabbing the grate and heaving it back into place; now that it had been pulled free it wasn't too difficult for him to move by himself. That done, he turned to his companions.

"Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>"Energon rations? Salvo, are you sure?' The Decepticon guard looked skeptically at the Second-in-Command. "We don't have much to spare from the reserves we brought with us."<p>

"We need to keep him alive," Salvo replied firmly. "Therefore, he needs to be given Energon-and the Sparkling needs some, as well."

The other guard nodded in agreement, turning to face the one who had argued with Salvo. "He's right. Cyclonus won't be too happy if they die of Energon deprivation before we get to make some use out of them."

"Not to mention the trouble you could get in just for arguing with the Second-in-Command," Howlback commented dryly from where she stood nearby.

The first guard relented, and stepped aside so that Salvo could enter the room. The mech had only been inside for a few seconds when he came rushing out again. "Escape! The prisoners are gone!"

"What? How? There's no way the Autobot could have gotten out! His weapons are gone and he's too runty to reach the windows-and he can't take a flying alt mode."

"He must have found a way. The only other exit…" Salvo narrowed his optics in realization. "That drainage grate. I thought it was too old and rusty to be moved. Apparently I was wrong. _Frag!_ We could possibly stand to lose the Sparkling, but keeping the Autobot secure was a crucial part of our mission! Howlback!"

Without a word, Howlback entered the room, ran to the grate, and, after grabbing it in her mouth and heaving it away, jumped inside the pipe. Turning back to the guards, Salvo motioned towards one of the exits of the factory. "Come on. We've got an Autobot to hunt."

* * *

><p>Computron flew out of the drainage pipe, followed closely by Sideswipe and Diesel, the latter of which was still carrying Blaster. The gray mech looked up at the sky, and, for the first time since he had been a Youngling on Cybertron, he saw sunlight-straight sunlight, not choked off or hidden behind clouds thrown up by the debris of war. It was a sight he'd thought he would never see again.<p>

Sideswipe noticed the direction of Diesel's gaze. "Yeah, it's amazing, isn't it?"

"It is." Diesel nodded. "Makes me miss Cybertron…the way it used to be." His voice took on a more serious, grateful note. "Sideswipe, I'm glad to be out of that horrible place. I can never thank you two enough for rescuing me…and for rescuing little Blaster, here, as well. If you two hadn't come-"

"Hey, don't thank us just yet," Computron replied briskly as he flew back to the two larger Autobots and landed on the ground in front of them. Craning his neck up to look at them, he shook his head firmly. "We may have gotten out of the Decepticon base, but we aren't anywhere near being in the clear yet. We won't really be safe until we're back with the other Autobots at _our_ base. So let's hurry up and get out of here before we find ourselves in more trouble than we've already run into with the Decepticons."

"If that's what you're hoping to accomplish, Autobot, then you're too late. More trouble has already found you!"

Computron jerked, and whirled around, joining both Sideswipe and Diesel in looking up and at the owner of the voice that had just spoken. To their horror, they realized just what their mistake of stopping for a brief moment to talk had cost them. It had given the Decepticons time to not only find out about their escape, but had allowed them to be located, as well. Salvo stood at the top of the creek bank, flanked on either side by the Decepticons who had been serving as the guards to Diesel's "cell". Other Decepticons, including Bullseye, were positioned on the other banks, cutting off any potential escape routes. Desperate, the Autobots turned to go back into the pipe-it might lead to a closed-off room, but if they could get there quick enough they could defend it from the Decepticons as they would have to enter through the grate one at a time-but the sight of Howlback, snarling in the pipe entrance, made that no longer an option.

"I have to admit, it's impressive that you were able to get that grate off of the pipe entrance-I honestly believed it was so rusted there was no way anyone could get it off, even a Cybertronian. Of course, you had help." Salvo looked over Sideswipe and Computron, sneering. Obviously, he was not impressed with the two Autobot rescuers. "To be honest, I would have expected Optimus to be the one heading a rescue attempt-catching up to the leader of the Autobots would have been more of a challenge. How disappointing."

Computron was facing Howlback, not trusting her to not make a move while the backs of the others were turned. Sideswipe, his blades drawn, faced Salvo, and Diesel was in the middle, holding Blaster tightly. The little Sparkling was crying again-not his loud wails this time, but bad enough-once more terrified by the sight of the Decepticons who had taken him away from home and then been so mean to him.

"Now, listen up, Autobot _filth_," Salvo growled, striding forward a few paces until he stood on the very edge of the creek bank. "We can do this the easy way _or _the hard way. Think about the odds-we outnumber you, and only one of you is a trained warrior currently capable of fighting. Make it easy on yourselves, and that little Sparkling, and give up now. If you do that, we promise we won't harm you…yet, anyway. We need you alive for now."

"What can we do?" Diesel hissed to Sideswipe, shifting his hold on the crying Blaster. "They don't outnumber us by much, but we have a Sparkling to protect and they took my weapons away."

"And he's right. I can fight when pressed, but I'm no warrior," Computron agreed.

"We have to try," Sideswipe whispered resolutely. "We can't just give up. I promised myself I would bring Blaster back home safely and I intend to do so. And they're Decepticons. We can't trust them to keep their word. There's no way they'd take us captive without harming us, even if we surrendered."

"Trust me, I know that," Diesel muttered, looking down at the metal patch on his right arm that rested where his plasma weapon used to be. The gray mech mentally berated himself for allowing himself to get captured and disarmed in the first place. Thanks to his carelessness, he had no weapon to assist Sideswipe in the fight that no doubt was to come. All he would be able to do was try and shield Blaster from any attacks-an important job, but one that would be easier if he could actually fight back.

"Well? I'm waiting," Salvo growled impatiently, having observed the hushed conversation between the three Autobots as they discussed their options, which were few. The black-armored Decepticon found himself growing more and more annoyed by their lack of a direct response to him. He didn't want to fight these Autobots and run the risk of killing them-especially since they were supposed to bring the one back to Cyclonus alive. He hoped they would come without a fight, but realistically he knew that the Autobots would never do such a thing, even with a Sparkling to look after. "Do you surrender? Or are you going to fight and risk the chance that you will all die?"

"If you think we're just going to hand ourselves-and this little Sparkling-over for you to do whatever it is your twisted Decepticon processors have in mind, you're deluding yourselves," Sideswipe replied hotly.

"Very well, then." Salvo looked at the other gathered Decepticons and jerked his head in the direction of the three Autobots and their Sparkling charge. "I didn't want to have to get rough with you three, but you leave me no choice. Don't blame me if that Sparkling gets hurt-_that_ will be on your _own_ heads."

At Salvo's approval for battle, there as an excited, eager mutter that ran through the gathered Decepticons as they started down the banks of the creek to approach the defiant Autobots. Howlback, however, stayed put; she would only act if the Autobots tried to escape by forcing their way past her.

As the Decepticons began to close in, increasing the speed of their approach with every step, Sideswipe held his blades up at the ready, wishing fervently that he had thought to bring a plasma gun-the extra firepower would come in handy right about now. No point wishing for something he didn't have now, though. That wouldn't help.

"Try to keep Blaster shielded, and stay behind me," Sideswipe ordered Diesel and Computron, in an undertone so that only they could hear what he said, although he never took his optics off of the advancing Decepticons. "I can hold them off, but I can't protect you if you don't stay behind me. If things take a turn for the worse and I start go down, try to get away as fast as you can. I'll buy you as much time as possible."

"But Sideswipe…" Computron protested anxiously, a worried look on his faceplate.

"Don't argue, Computron. Just get Diesel back to base and Blaster back to Bumblebee, alright?"

_Wait…Bumblebee? That's Blaster's caretaker?_ Diesel shuttered his optics briefly in surprise. _But he would be way too young for such a thing! How?_ Before the gray mech's thoughts could go any farther than that, however, the first shot was fired, effectively stopping his train of thought, as well as the advance of the Decepticons.

At first, the sight of the Decepticons halting their advance so suddenly many of them ran into each other confused Sideswipe, Computron, and Diesel, but then, following the gaze of every single Decepticon from the smoking impact crater from the weapon's discharge that was located in-between the Decepticons and the cornered Autobots, up to the formerly unoccupied right side creek bank, they were able to see why.

The first shot had not come from a Decepticon's plasma weapon.

Optimus Prime stood at the top of the bank, holding his ion blaster at the ready.

"I hate to disappoint you, Salvo," the Prime rumbled. "But you will not be taking any more Autobots captive today."

* * *

><p>Unlike what was normally expected from the average Decepticon, Salvo was not usually one to lose his temper. He preferred to keep himself calm and level-headed. But the sight of the leader of the Autobots standing on the creek bank, interfering just when the Decepticons were about to claim a victory, was enough to make him furious. He pointed at Optimus Prime, snarling a command to the still hesitant Decepticons.<p>

"Well? What are you waiting for? He's by himself! Go after him and the others, now!"

Most of the Decepticons still hesitated, but Bullseye, in a fit of bravery (or perhaps stupidity; Salvo could never exactly tell which as far as Bullseye was concerned) leapt toward Optimus, forming his own plasma weapon out of his left arm and firing at the Autobot leader. The Prime avoided it easily, but the sight of Bullseye attacking inspired the other Decepticons to do the same. A few went after Sideswipe and the others still in the creek bed, but the rest went after Optimus, Salvo joining them, his anger at having the success of their mission pulled apart driving him into action.

Optimus wasn't a Prime and the leader of the Autobots for nothing, however; he was able to hold his ground as the brunt of the Decepticon forces attacked him, utilizing both his Energon Blade and Axe as the close combat made it too risky to use his ion blaster any more. He knew that he could handle them by himself; it was Sideswipe and the others who needed assistance. Despite the fact that Sideswipe was fighting valiantly to protect Computron, Blaster (who had gone from whimpering to wailing as the sight and sounds of battle terrified him), and a gray Autobot whose face he had yet to see clearly so that he could identify him, he would not be able to hold for long on his own, especially since he could now see Skyjack, one of the larger Decepticon warriors, joining in the assault on the cornered Autobots.

_Prowl, Silverbolt, now! _The Prime commanded via comm as he fended off another strike from Bullseye. With the Autobots' long-range comms down, he had instructed the other members of the rescue party to remain within short-range comm distance. Silverbolt, high in the sky, might not be able to clearly pick up on the transmission, but that problem was solved by the keen optics the flying Autobot had.

Howlback heard it first-the screeching of tires amidst the trees-and turned her head to glance out from the relative safety of the drainage pipe. Her single red optic widened at the sight of a police car barreling through the trees. She knew it wasn't a true police car, and opened her mouth to warn the other Decepticons.

"Look out, it's Pro-"

Her words were cut off as the police car rammed full-force into Skyjack, fluidly shifting into robot mode as it soared over him. Prowl landed on his feet in the creek bed just as Skyjack thudded to the ground. Taking advantage of the momentary shock of the remaining Decepticons, Prowl hurried over to assist Sideswipe and the others.

"Prowl!" Sideswipe called out gratefully at the sight of the older black and white mech.

Activating his own weapons, Prowl stood next to Sideswipe. "Got a little in over your head, didn't you, kid?"

"Hey!" Computron protested before Sideswipe could reply. "Is that a short joke?" If there was one thing the little mech hated, it was others making jabs at the height (or lack thereof) of others; not just of himself, either. He was sensitive about his short stature, by Primus, and he wasn't going to let anyone poke fun at it in himself or anyone else, even if the mech doing so was currently saving them from being scrapped by the Decepticons.

"Just a figure of speech, Computron," Prowl said wearily.

"Well, it's not one I like," Computron muttered.

"And I'm not a kid," Sideswipe declared hotly. "I haven't been for a very long time."

"Save it, both of you. We've got bigger problems." Prowl nodded in the direction of the Decepticons, who were starting to regroup as Skyjack got back to his feet. The wailing of Blaster caused the Head of Security to shift his attention briefly onto the little red Sparkling and the gray Autobot mech holding him. "Oh, hello. It's…Diesel, right? I haven't seen you in a long time." He fired at one of the approaching Decepticons, and was rewarded with a sharp cry of pain and a slew of cursing in Cybertronian.

"Are you the only reinforcement Prime brought with him?" Sideswipe asked, taking down another Decepticon with one of his blades. Up on the creek bank, the silver mech could see that Optimus had successfully knocked Bullseye and most of the other Decepticons he had been fighting down into the creek bed, and they all seemed reluctant to climb back up and continue fighting the Prime. Salvo, however, was not backing down and was fighting almost as savagely as Megatron had done during his and the Prime's many battles. "Because we could use a little more help-Computron's not a fighter, and the Decepticons took away Diesel's weapons."

"No. Red Alert's here, but he's guarding our…ahem…_guide_, and will be along shortly. But Silverbolt's coming now."

No sooner had those words left Prowl's mouth than the loud roar of the engines of a C-17 filled the air. Many of the Decepticons ceased fighting, craning their heads up to look at it in shock. The roar intensified as the C-17 flew lower, and then suddenly Silverbolt was just _there_, having altered from his alt mode to robot mode so fast hardly anyone had actually caught the actual Transformation sequence. The flight-capable Autobot stretched to his full height and aimed his own plasma cannon at the Decepticons. It was hardly necessary, however, at the sight of the towering mech, the remaining Decepticons suddenly lost the urge to fight and fled back in the direction of the factory's main entrance. Howlback hesitated briefly, before jumping out of the pipe and running after them. But the catlike Decepticon split off from the group quickly, altering course and running up to stand next to Bullseye and Salvo, the latter of which had stopped fighting Optimus and had backed off when he had seen Silverbolt.

Unspeakable fury filled Salvo. They'd lost this battle. They'd completed the mission and now they'd lost! They'd lost their prisoner, and now, they'd lost their base-there was no doubt in Salvo's processor that the Autobots knew they were staying in this factory, that it wasn't just a place they had temporarily stopped at. But how had they found it? The signal dampeners should have made it impossible for any Autobot to locate them! Unless…his gaze fell to his near right, onto a small, orange-armored mech that was being herded forward by a red-armored Autobot he recognized as being named Red Alert. Scattershot!

"_Scattershot!_ You told them we were here? You betrayed us!" Salvo glared at the smaller Decepticon, who stared back fearfully, cowering under the Decepticon Second-in-Command's harsh glare. "I always knew you were an expendable soldier, but I never thought you would be disloyal. I thought any chance at disloyalty had been beaten out of you long ago, but I seem to have been wrong."

"Worthless little runt," Bullseye growled. "We lost the battle and our two prisoners, and it's all your fault. _Traitor!_ We should kill you right now, you useless pile of scrap!"

"But I…" Scattershot stammered.

Something happened then that no Decepticon still present had seen before-Salvo looked evenly at Bullseye and nodded in the direction of Scattershot, actually giving the Decepticon he usually argued with permission to strike the orange-armored mech. With a snarl of rage, Bullseye rushed forward and, before Red Alert could intervene, he backhanded the smaller Decepticon on the left side of his face, hard enough to knock Scattershot down and leave a nasty looking gash on his cheek plating. Just as Bullseye raised his weapons to kill the smaller Decepticon, Optimus Prime stepped forward, optics flickering dangerously. Realizing the danger he was in if he continued, Bullseye hastily backed off, away from the Prime.

As Bullseye flicked Energon off of his hand, Salvo pointed at Scattershot. "You are no longer welcome among the Decepticon ranks, _traitor_. Try to return, and you will be killed like the _vermin_ you are."

"Enough, Salvo," Optimus Prime commanded. "The Decepticons have lost today. Leave now, and we will not follow. But if you return, we will not be so merciful a second time."

"Oh, we _will_ return," Salvo said darkly. "And when we do, things will be different. You'll see, Optimus Prime. You'll see."

With that, the black-armored Decepticon turned and headed back in the direction of the factory, Bullseye and Howlback following. While he still seethed with rage, he was beginning to calm down, and regretted the fact that he had come so close to losing his cool. He had a reputation to maintain, after all.

They'd have to leave the factory. Even though they had not received the return order from Cyclonus, now that the Autobots knew where they were staying, they had no choice. They had to go back to the mountains. Cyclonus would no doubt be enraged at their return, but it was their only option.

They'd lost the Autobot captive, they'd lost the Sparkling, but Howlback still had the information she had stolen. The Autobots had been too preoccupied with rescuing their own to consider the fact that they needed to find out what Howlback had stolen. That part of the mission, at least, had not been ruined.

And that had to count for something.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?" Optimus asked in concern as he helped Scattershot to his feet. The young Decepticon looked up at him, optics confused and filled with pain. He was holding a hand over the gash on his cheek plating, trying to staunch the flow of Energon from the wound. The injury was deep and would most likely leave a nasty scar, something that made the Prime feel regret at not being able to prevent Bullseye from attacking the younger orange mech.<p>

"I…I can't go back…" The Decepticon looked like he was in shock. "Where'll I go? I don't have a family; the Decepticons are all I can remember ever knowing. What'll I do?"

"You may stay with us for the time being. We will take care of you," the Prime reassured. He nodded at Red Alert. "Look after him, please." That said, he stood and walked over to where Sideswipe remained with Prowl, Computron, and the gray mech, who he now recognized as Diesel.

Sideswipe couldn't meet the Prime's optics. "Sir, I know I shouldn't have, but…"

Computron hurried to interrupt and claim his share of the blame. "It's not just his fault, sir, I'm responsible, too, and…"

Optimus looked over Sideswipe and Computron sternly, as their excuses faded into a nervous silence. "You two put yourself in grave danger. That was very foolish, and I should tell you to never do anything like this ever again." The Prime's voice softened, and he smiled very faintly. "However, if you hadn't done so, it is very likely that we would not have arrived in time to save Blaster and Diesel. While I do not expect this from either of you again, this time, I commend you both for your actions." He turned his attention to Diesel, although he did not miss the looks of surprise and relief on Sideswipe and Computron's faces. "And you for yours, as well, Diesel, for taking care of Blaster while you were both held captive."

"Thank you, sir." Diesel looked embarrassed at the Autobot leader's praise.

"Are you hurt?" Optimus questioned, looking over the gray mech in concern.

"Not anymore, sir. The Decepticons attacked me and took my weapons, but they treated my injuries." Diesel shrugged. "I'm all right now, though, sir."

"That is good to hear, though I believe that Ratchet will want to look over you, just in case." The Prime then shifted his attention to focus on Blaster. The little Sparkling was not wailing any longer, but he was still making the sounds equivalent to human sniffling and hiccupping, and he was trembling with fear as he continued to cling to Diesel. Fortunately, he didn't appear to be physically hurt (however, an examination from Ratchet would be needed to truly confirm that), but the entire ordeal-his capture, imprisonment, and the following battle, had no doubt severely traumatized the Sparkling, even though the series of events had taken place in a relatively short amount of time. Optimus felt a wave of Spark-felt regret. He'd hoped that none of the Sparklings would ever have to experience war. But now, Blaster had, at an age where he wasn't able to understand or do anything about it, and it simply was not fair. The little one was innocent and hadn't deserved any of this. The Prime vented wearily.

"We will return to the base, now," Optimus said evenly. "The others are waiting for us."

Blaster pushed away from Diesel slightly, and looked up at Optimus with wide, scared optics. The Prime was one of the few Autobots besides Bumblebee that the little Sparkling had known before he had arrived at the base over a week ago, and because of that (and because rank had no meaning to such a young Sparkling as it was beyond his capability to understand), Blaster trusted Optimus almost as much as he trusted Bumblebee. "Opt…Opt take to Bee?" The little Sparkling asked in a tiny voice, still whimpering.

"Yes, little one," Optimus said gently. "You are going home."

The red Sparkling held out his arms to the Prime, and Optimus gently took him from Diesel. Once Blaster was settled (although he was still whimpering and looked like he was trying very hard not to cry full-out again), Optimus turned his attention to the others.

"Silverbolt, fly Scattershot, Red Alert, and Diesel to the base, please. Prowl, Computron, Sideswipe, come with me. We are all going home."

* * *

><p>Bumblebee tried to hold still as Ratchet ran one last scan over his right leg, checking to make sure that the welds had finally set. He knew that the scan would work only if he was still, but he'd been stuck in the medbay ever since the previous night, when he was first hurt, and he was anxious to get out. Sam had insisted on staying with him, but Bumblebee had heard his friend's stomach growling thirty minutes previous and had firmly pointed Sam in the direction of the human mess hall. When Sam had protested, Bumblebee had been backed up by Ratchet, who informed Sam that eating was necessary, especially since he hadn't eaten since before the base attack the night before. After several assurances from Bumblebee that the scout didn't mind him leaving for a while, Sam had reluctantly agreed and left. He'd also heard that Carly had arrived on base soon after, and he knew that they were probably eating together.<p>

_Good, that means Sam will actually stay there and eat proper food and not just grab a cereal bar or something and come right back here,_ Bumblebee thought.

And while Bumblebee was glad Sam had seen reason and gone to eat, he had to admit that he was bored now that he didn't have Sam to talk to while the medic worked on his leg. He also wished that Firestorm was there to talk to; the old Decepticon might still not have access to the Autobot comm systems but he had been willing to speak out loud to Bumblebee when Ratchet had told the old Decepticon the Youngling was curious about his travels as a Seeker, and Bumblebee found his stories of the planets and star systems he had traveled to fascinating. But, before he had left, Optimus Prime had given Firestorm permission to leave the medbay-provided he still had a guard, of course. He and Mirage were now in the main hangar, for some reason or other, so the only occupants in the medbay at the moment were Ratchet and Bumblebee. Most of the Autobots who had remained on base were all tense and on edge, waiting in the main hangar for the patrol to get back. Bumblebee still felt upset about Blaster's kidnapping, but knowing that Optimus and the others had gone out to perform a rescue, combined with his own determination to focus on recovering so he would be able to take care of Blaster once he was safely home, made him feel significantly better.

"Well, the welds all seem to be set completely." Ratchet deactivated his scanners and nodded at Bumblebee. "Try moving your leg."

The young scout obediently did so, but immediately flinched and let out a very soft whimper of pain. _It hurts, _He transmitted faintly. Bumblebee moved into a sitting position, shifting his legs off the berth, wincing as pain shot through his right leg. It wasn't anywhere near as intense as it had been when his leg had first been injured, but it still hurt. He looked up at Ratchet, his antennae flat against his helm from the pain. _I can move it, but it really hurts._

"It's going to hurt for a few days; I'm sorry, but there's nothing that can be done about that," Ratchet replied, a hint of sympathy in his voice. "Just keep stretching your leg and try to walk on it normally. You may limp but try not to favor your leg _too_ much, understand?"

_Okay, I'll try._ Bumblebee eased himself off the berth, and took a few steps. Walking hurt, and he was limping badly, but he knew that he needed to recover, so he took care to try and put as much weight as he could stand on his right leg. _I still can't Transform like this, can I?_

"No, you can't. You'll have to stay on base until your leg is healed enough to allow Transformation. And don't give me that kicked Turbo-Fox look." Ratchet shook his head. "You can barely walk, Bumblebee. How much pain do you think you'd feel by shifting into vehicle mode?"

_Ouch,_ Bumblebee admitted.

"Ouch is right." Ratchet moved to put some of his medical tools away. "Now, go and find Sam and Carly. You can stay in the main hangar and wait for the patrol to come back."

At that, Bumblebee looked up at the medic again, pain and hope showing in his optics at the same time. _Do you think they'll be back soon? They've been gone for a long time._

"I don't know, Bumblebee. They could be back at any time today. It depends on how far away the Decepticon base is from ours."

_They'll have Blaster with them, though, right? When they come back?_ Bumblebee's comm couldn't convey a pleading tone in his words, but the painfully hopeful look in his optics served the purpose just as effectively.

Even though he wanted to reassure Bumblebee that yes, the rescue attempt would work, Ratchet knew that he couldn't confirm one way or the other if Blaster would be retrieved safely by Optimus and the others. He placed a hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "They'll try their best, Bumblebee. You know that."

Bumblebee nodded, looking downcast. _Yeah…I know. It's just…nerve-wracking, having to wait here and not knowing what's going on out there. It's like what Sam told me he felt when he learned we're going to have to face Unicron without the humans' help._ The young Autobot couldn't suppress a shudder at the thought of the upcoming battle with Unicron. The idea of fighting Unicron terrified him and he tried to avoid thinking about it, but it was hard to actually do so as he knew it was why he and the others were doing all of the extra training exercises.

Ratchet noticed that right away. "Don't think about that right now, Youngling; that's not going to happen for some time yet. Deal with one thing at a time. Focus on getting the strength back in your leg, alright?"

Bumblebee nodded. _Okay, Ratchet._

"Good." That said, Ratchet gently turned the Youngling around and pushed him slightly in the direction of the door out of the medbay. "Now, go on and go to the main hangar. I'm sure Sam and Carly are waiting for you."

* * *

><p>Due to the pain he felt in his leg and his effort to not fall into his newly-acquired limp too much, it took Bumblebee longer to get from the medbay to the main hanger than it usually did. However, he did eventually get there, and, despite the renewed soreness in his leg, he felt a sense of accomplishment at being able to walk despite the fact that it was no longer the most pleasant experience for him. He was no stranger to having an injury keep him in the medbay, but who'd have thought that not being able to leave a berth in the medbay for just a little over <em>one<em> night would have made him miss walking around so much that he wouldn't care if actually doing so made his leg hurt?

"Bee!"

The young Autobot looked up at the sound of Sam calling his name, and saw the human members of his family standing close to the Sparkling play area-empty now because the Sparklings had been temporarily relocated to another room on the base, where they were all currently taking their afternoon recharge naps-waiting for him. Bumblebee warbled a greeting, waving as he limped over to them, but Sam hurried over to meet him halfway, looking worried.

"You're limping, Bee. How bad does your leg hurt? Maybe you should sit down or something, I don't think you should be standing if your leg hurts too much."

Bumblebee shook his head, trying to reassure his friend. _"Have to-walk it off-doctor's orders."_ He quoted, gesturing back in the direction if the medbay.

"But it's hurting you," Sam insisted, as Carly came over and joined them. "I can tell."

"_It's-not that bad,"_ Bumblebee replied, although he couldn't meet Sam's gaze as he quoted those words. His leg _was_ hurting, but he didn't want Sam to worry about him any more than he already was, and Ratchet _had_ said the best thing for him would be to walk on his leg, because favoring it wouldn't make it heal any faster.

"Bee…" Sam replied in stern voice. He obviously wasn't buying the whole 'I'm fine' thing.

Bumblebee vented softly, relenting. _"Alright, alright. It hurts-but I-can deal-with it."_

"You sure?"

"_Uh-huh,"_ Bumblebee warbled, nodding.

Sam still looked a little concerned, but offered his friend a smile. "Okay, Bee. Just take it easy, all right?"

Bumblebee nodded in agreement. Even though he knew walking was the best way to get his leg healed up, he had no desire to strain his leg too much.

Carly stepped forward then, looking up at the young Autobot. "Hey, Bumblebee. Sam told me what happened last night. Are you feeling alright?"

Bumblebee looked towards the hangar entrance, adjusting the way he was standing so that he wasn't putting too much weight on his right leg, as it was starting to ache more than it had been. He wished that Optimus and the others would get back soon, and he hoped that they would have Blaster with them. Ratchet had said they would do their best, and Bumblebee had complete faith in his leader, but…the young Autobot still could not help but feel very worried and upset about the entire thing. If he'd been a better caretaker, none of this would have happened…but it was no use worrying about that now. Bumblebee silently promised himself that he'd never make another mistake regarding Blaster; that he would never fail as the Sparkling's caretaker ever again. He looked back at Carly and shook his head. _"I'm alright. Worried-sad-but alright."_

"Don't worry, Bumblebee. I'm sure that Blaster is alright, and he'll be very happy to see you when Optimus and the others bring him back," Carly offered with a small smile.

"Yeah, Bee, everything's going to be fine," Sam agreed.

The young Autobot looked gratefully at the two humans. He knew that they were both trying to make him feel better, and, just as when Sam had chosen to stay with him the previous night, he greatly appreciated that. It wasn't enough to completely dispel the worry and sadness he felt over the whole thing, but it helped.

With a sudden realization, Bumblebee remembered that he had never gotten to tell Sam what he had been about to say when the attack had begun the previous night. While it didn't seem to have much importance now-it wouldn't have any importance until Blaster was back-the young Autobot decided it was worth mentioning to Sam and Carly anyway. He steadied himself to phrase his request in his actual voice, as what he felt that what he wanted to say needed to be said in his own words instead of composed of radio clips. Before he could begin to speak, however, he was interrupted again-but not in the form of an attack this time.

The interruption this time came in the small form of Wheelie's alt mode-a blue remote-controlled toy truck-as he zipped into the hangar from the outside entrance and headed towards the hall that led to the medbay. Before entering the hall, however, the little Decepticon-turned-Autobot stopped, spun around, and Transformed into his robot mode just long enough to announce, "The rescue party is back!" to every Autobot and human present in the hangar, before shifting back into alt mode and resuming his hurried approach to the medbay.

Bumblebee briefly wondered why Wheelie was in such a hurry to get to the medbay, but quickly shoved that thought from his processor, deciding that he would rather not know the implications behind the smaller mech's actions, especially since they came at the time the rescue party had returned. Instead, he turned and began to limp towards the entrance to the hangar, once again worried and hopeful. Sam and Carly followed him, but they paused when Bumblebee came to a stop at the sight of Optimus Prime-closely followed by Silverbolt, Prowl, Red Alert, the Decepticon captive Scattershot, Sideswipe, Computron, and a gray mech he didn't know-entering the hangar. From the corner of his optic, Bumblebee saw Sunstreaker dash forward and grab Sideswipe in a hug-proof of how worried the normally aloof mech had been for his brother, as he rarely showed affection like that-and while Bumblebee was also glad that Sideswipe, Computron-and all of the other members of the rescue party-were safe, at the moment, all the young scout properly saw was the small red Sparkling that was huddled pitifully in Optimus's arms.

Stepping forward again anxiously, the young Autobot looked up at Optimus. _Is he hurt?_

"I am not certain if there are physical wounds in addition to the mental ones," The Prime said softly, regret evident in his deep voice. "We were forced to battle the Decepticons, and Blaster was caught in the middle of something he could not understand."

Bumblebee let out a soft, mournful sounding chirp. At the sound, Blaster hesitantly raised his head and looked around for the source. His frightened gaze met Bumblebee's, and in an instant, the little Sparkling was clicking desperately, reaching for his caretaker. Optimus immediately handed Blaster over to Bumblebee, and the young Autobot took the Sparkling into his arms, chirping soothingly as Blaster practically burrowed into his caretaker's embrace.

"Bee…" The Sparkling whimpered, before letting out a pitiful whine and hiding his face against Bumblebee's shoulder armor.

"_There, there,"_ Bumblebee quoted in an attempt to calm the terrified Sparkling down. All he got in response was another whimper as Blaster buried his face even further into his shoulder. _Primus, he's so scared that he's trembling. What did the Decepticons do to him? _The young Autobot felt at a loss as to what to do. He'd soothed Blaster before when the little Sparkling was scared, from nightmares and other such things, but it had never been this bad before. Even the night they had found Firestorm paled in comparison to this.

How on Earth was he supposed to calm Blaster down from being caught up in a battle, when the little Sparkling wasn't old enough to understand that sort of thing? Even Bumblebee couldn't really understand war, and he was older and, unlike Blaster, had grown up knowing nothing else. War was something you could never really understand, no matter how old you were. But Blaster had never really known about fighting, and now he had suddenly experienced it. No wonder he was terrified.

Bumblebee felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Optimus looking at him, sympathy in his optics.

"Take him to the medbay, Bumblebee. Ratchet will help you to take care of him, if there is indeed any physical harm he is suffering from."

The young Autobot nodded. _Yes, sir._ He turned to go, but hesitated, turning halfway back around to look at Sam and Carly. He wanted to take care of Blaster-he _needed_ to-but he didn't want to just run off and leave the human members of his family behind.

Sam, however, dispelled any hesitancy the young Autobot felt with a smile. "Go on, Bumblebee. It's okay-we don't mind. Blaster needs you right now."

"Just make sure that he's okay. We'll get together later," Carly added.

Bumblebee chirped gratefully at his human family. As he turned and limped in the direction of the medbay, holding the still whimpering Blaster gently against his shoulder, the young Autobot made a mental note to do something nice for Sam and Carly for being so supportive and understanding towards him during this recent crisis…and especially in the light of what was to come in the months ahead.

* * *

><p>Blaster refused to be cooperative at first. Every time Bumblebee made to set him down on one of the berths in the medbay so that Ratchet could scan him, the little Sparkling would cry out in protest and cling to his caretaker even tighter. Finally, the situation was resolved when Bumblebee (after being assured by Ratchet that it would not interfere with any of the scans) allowed Blaster to cling to his arm while the Sparkling sat on the berth, keeping his face hidden against the armor on Bumblebee's arm as the medic ran scan after scan.<p>

Ratchet internally went over the information from the scans. _Well, it seems that's he's not physically hurt. He's severely traumatized, and that's bad enough, but at least there are no physical injuries to worry about, thank Primus. _The medic noticed Bumblebee looking worriedly at him, waiting anxiously for him to share the results of the scans. Ratchet offered the young Autobot a small, tired smile.

"There's nothing wrong with him that can't be put right with some Energon, a nice long recharge, and plenty of time with you, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee's shoulders slumped in relief. _So he's not hurt?_

"No, not physically. He is, however, traumatized, as you can see. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done except give him time to recover. But I'm certain that being back with you will help a great deal." Ratchet headed over and began to take something out of one of the many cabinets that lined the walls of the medbay. "I'll fix him some Energon; I have no doubts that he needs the feeding."

_Okay._ Bumblebee looked around, and spotted a spare thermal blanket in one of the extra Sparkling berths. He took it out and wrapped it around Blaster, easing his arm out from the little one's grip and shifting his hold on the Sparkling so that he was once again held in both arms. Blaster whined in protest at first, but soon quieted down, burying his face in his caretaker's armor once again, although slight whimpers continued to escape him. Bumblebee began to rock the Sparkling slightly; it was a very human gesture that Bumblebee had learned by observation, as it was not something Cybertronians did with their children-Ratchet had told him so. And yet, for some reason, it had always worked to calm Blaster down when he was upset. This was no exception; his whimpers becoming softer, Blaster settled in his caretaker's hold with a quiet, soothed-sounding click. Bumblebee looked up as Ratchet approached him again.

"There's a spare room just across the hall, Bumblebee," Ratchet informed the younger mech as he handed over a bottle filled with the Sparkling Energon formula. "You can take Blaster in there if you want. It will be nice and quiet, and that's just what Blaster needs right now."

_Thank you,_ Bumblebee responded, taking the Energon bottle. _If something happens, I'll let you know._

"I appreciate that." The medic made a shooing gesture. "Go on. I'll make sure no one bothers you."

_Thanks, Ratchet. But if Sam or Carly want to see me, they can, okay? It won't bother me, and they're Blaster's family, too._

"All right, Bumblebee," The medic relented. "I'll tell them where you are if they ask for you."

Bumblebee nodded gratefully at the medic before leaving the medbay for the second time that afternoon. So much had happened since he had first left the room.

The spare room was, as Ratchet had told him, directly across the hall from the medbay. It was mostly empty, but there were a few Autobot and human-sized chairs inside. Bumblebee settled into one of the Autobot ones, stretching his injured leg out slightly, quietly venting a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized how much his leg had been hurting until he had sat down, and now, the easing of the pain was a welcome change.

Blaster peeked out from where he had been hiding his face against his caretaker, looking around at his new surroundings. He'd never been in this room before, but he didn't see any of the bad ones in here, and besides, even if they had been here, he was with Bumblebee, and the little Sparkling knew that his caretaker would _never_ let him get hurt. Still, Blaster looked up at Bumblebee for reassurance, before looking at the Energon bottle the yellow Autobot still held in one hand. "Pnk?" The little Sparkling asked in a tiny, timid sounding voice that was very different from the way he normally spoke.

Bumblebee nodded, chirping soothingly as he offered the bottle to the Sparkling. Blaster drank from the bottle eagerly, but his feeding was sporadic as he kept making slight sniffling and hiccupping sounds while he drank. The Sparkling emptied the bottle rather quickly, though, in spite of this, proof of how hungry he was.

_Did the Decepticons not give him any Energon at all?_ Bumblebee wondered with a brief surge of anger that he quickly shoved aside. He could get angry at the Decepticons later. Right now Blaster needed to be comforted.

Blaster continued to sniffle, even after he had finished eating and his full tanks made him feel drowsy. Bumblebee desperately wished he knew more about how to help the little Sparkling feel safe; how to calm him down enough so he would be able to get the peaceful recharge he needed. Setting the now empty Energon bottle aside, he adjusted the thermal blanket around the Sparkling, hoping it would help. Bumblebee began rubbing Blaster's head gently with one finger, offering the little Sparkling more comfort as best as he could.

A Sparkling Blaster's age couldn't fight recharge very long, especially with a tank full from a recent feeding. But Blaster kept jerking back into wakefulness almost immediately every time he slipped into recharge, and each time he woke, he would begin whimpering all over again. Bumblebee wished again that he knew what to do. Blaster needed the recharge but obviously he was still too stressed and the events that he had recently gone through were far too fresh in his processor to allow him any rest.

Suddenly, Bumblebee _did_ know just what he needed to do.

Adjusting his hold on Blaster, Bumblebee maneuvered the little Sparkling so that he was being held against the armor that covered the yellow Autobot's Spark chamber, just as he had done on the day he had first held Blaster as a little Hatchling. He didn't have a Sparkbond with Blaster. He wasn't Blaster's creator, so that was impossible. But what Ratchet had told him a year ago-that being held near a Spark would calm a Hatchling or Sparkling down regardless of any bond-let Bumblebee know that this would help Blaster settle.

Sure enough, Blaster settled down as he felt the familiar, comforting warmth of Bumblebee's Spark, but only partially; he continued to whimper, although his whimpers were much softer. Relieved at the fact that Blaster was calming down, even if only slightly, Bumblebee began to search though the stations with his radio, before he found one that was playing a soothing song. Adjusting the volume so that Blaster could easily hear it but also so that it wasn't too loud, he allowed the song to play, hoping it would help. Hope and relief filled the young Autobot as Blaster quieted down, his whimpers fading as he listened to the music Bumblebee was playing for him. A very small, timid smile appeared on the Sparkling's face as he listened.

As the song continued to play, Blaster relaxed completely as the music, combined with Bumblebee's presence and the warmth he felt from being held close to his caretaker's Spark, caused him to finally feel safe. Clicking softly, he snuggled up against Bumblebee, his optics drooping as he finally succumbed to recharge. Venting a very quiet sigh of relief, Bumblebee lowered the volume of his radio a tiny bit more, and adjusted the thermal blanket around the recharging Sparkling. He would keep the song playing, just in case Blaster woke up and needed the comfort again. But in the meantime, he would continue to hold the Sparkling and simply keep watch over him.

He'd recovered from being traumatized before himself, and he knew such a recovery was impossible to do alone. So he would do whatever he could to help Blaster recover from his traumatic experience. If that meant that Bumblebee would have to hold him while he recharged, and play music for him to soothe him into his recharge cycle, then that was what he'd do.

Blaster needed him.

And he wasn't going to let his little Sparkling down ever again.

* * *

><p>"Was Blaster all right?"<p>

"That depends on how you look at it, Prime," Ratchet said in response to Optimus's question, although he did not look up from working on Diesel's arm. The Decepticons had done a surprisingly good patch job, although the damage caused by the forceful removal of the gray mech's weapons needed more than that to be fully taken care of. His cracked optic was a matter of concern as well. "He's not hurt physically. He's traumatized, and Bumblebee is the one he needs to help him heal."

"Yes, you are right. Where are they?"

"I sent Bumblebee into the spare room across the hall." Ratchet waved a hand absently in the direction of the medbay door. "He was going to feed Blaster and try to get him to recharge, and that spare room was one of the only places available for the peace and quiet those two desperately need right now."

"I see." Optimus Prime looked thoughtful. "Would it be alright if I were to go see them while you are working on Diesel? Just to make sure that everything is fine?"

Ratchet shrugged. "If you want, Prime. Bumblebee said he would let me know if anything happened, and he hasn't contacted me yet. I assume everything is just fine. But if you want to put your Spark at ease by seeing for yourself, go on ahead."

Optimus nodded, and then turned to Diesel. "Once I have spoken to Bumblebee, I will return here and speak to you." The Prime noticed Diesel glancing about at the other occupants of the medbay, looking both curious and nervous at the same time. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, sir." Diesel looked embarrassed. "Sir, I'm afraid that I've spent so much time traveling alone since I left Cybertron, I'm not used to being around others much anymore."

"That's quite all right, Diesel," Optimus said kindly. "I am sure that you will adjust just fine."

"Yes, sir."

Optimus nodded at the gray mech and Ratchet, and then walked towards the door.

Watching Optimus leave the medbay, the medic shook his head. _He's Prime, and yet he still asks me for permission to do certain things, just like he did before the war ever started. I guess there are some things even a Prime can't break the habit of._

Unaware of Ratchet's musings, Optimus shut the door to the medbay behind him, and headed across to the spare room. _Blaster was in a terrible state earlier. I really hope Bumblebee has managed to calm him down, even if only a little._ He opened the door without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"Bumblebee?" The Prime called softly, not wanting to disturb Blaster if the little Sparkling was in recharge. Optimus looked around the room, his gaze finally coming to rest on one corner. His expression softened, and a faint smile appeared on his faceplates.

Bumblebee was sitting in one of the Autobot-sized chairs in the room, leaning slightly back. He held Blaster-wrapped in a thermal blanket-securely over the armor that covered his Spark chamber. Both the young yellow Autobot and the little red Sparkling were deep in recharge, and the expressions on both of their faceplates were peaceful.

Not wanting to disturb them, Optimus backed out of the room and shut the door quietly. With a last, faint parting smile in the direction of the room that contained Bumblebee and Blaster, he turned and headed back to the medbay.


	13. Lessons

**A/N**_**:**__ Gah, I did NOT intend for there to be such a long gap in-between the last chapter and this one! Sorry, sorry, sorry!_

_So I was watching the special features on my Transformers Prime Season One DVD set, and found out that Hasbro makes sure that in each iteration, Optimus Prime doesn't use contractions when he speaks, just like the way I write Firestorm's dialogue. I actually try to not have Optimus use contractions anyway, as I think it makes him sound more dignified, but I HAVE slipped up several times with this. I suppose I could use the excuse that since the war is (actually, was, based on the events of the last few chapters) basically over, he'd started to settle into more of a civilian role and since he didn't have to focus purely on leading his troops anymore (and since he's more or less a daddy now) he'd loosened up a little, but I want to remain true to the character. Sigh. I'll go back and fix his dialogue eventually, but not for a while. At least now that I know he's not supposed to speak that way, I won't write him like that anymore in future chapters/stories, at least._

_Trailbreaker is the oldest of the Sparklings, so he speaks more clearly than the others, though, as seen in previous chapters, he still has trouble with some words and still talks like the toddler he is for the most part._

_In this chapter, we set Blaster on the path to recovery and then we finally get to see the Autobots train for the upcoming battle with Unicron. While it's been mentioned that they were doing so in previous chapters, this is the first time we actually get to see it. Firestorm also finally gets an Earth Alt Mode. I didn't intend for this chapter to be so long, but every scene it contains is important, so I couldn't leave them out. I almost cut one, but then I realized, no, that wouldn't work if I did that. So I cut nothing out._

_Firestorm's lecture to Optimus about flying is inspired by Toph's speech to Aang about the differences between Airbending and Earthbending in the Avatar episode "Bitter Work"._

_That said, there will probably be another delay in between this chapter and the next one. I have some art projects I need to get started on (actually, one of them is related to this story!) and I want to write another chapter of Adventures with Autobots. Just a heads up._

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND!**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twelve-Lessons**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 16,659**

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><p>BUMBLEBEE DIDN'T COME OUT OF RECHARGE UNTIL early that evening. When he came back online, he unshuttered his optics almost immediately with a slightly panicked feeling-forgetting for the moment that Blaster was safe and with him. As soon as he was fully awake, however, the memory of Optimus and the rescue patrol returning with Blaster surfaced, and he relaxed, remembering to keep still so that he wouldn't awaken Blaster, who he now remembered was recharging from where he was being held against the armor over his Spark chamber. The young Autobot turned his head, and when the sight of the orange-tinted sunlight falling through one of the windows met his optics, he abruptly realized, with a slight feeling of surprise, just how much time had passed.<p>

He hadn't intended to fall into recharge at all, but apparently the fact that he had not had the most peaceful of recharges the previous night, combined with him not being able to fall back into recharge after Sideswipe had been discovered missing, had left him more exhausted than he'd thought. And not only was Bumblebee surprised at the fact that he had fallen into recharge without meaning to, he was also a little surprised that no one had come to get him, either…he guessed that if anyone had come into the room to visit, they had probably left because they didn't want to wake him or Blaster up. Ratchet had probably chased any potential visitors away, like he had promised he would, too.

The young Autobot stretched slightly, wincing as the action brought a fresh jolt of pain up his right leg, but he kept quiet despite the pain, not wanting to disturb the still-recharging Blaster-even though he had a feeling it wouldn't be long before the Sparkling woke up as well. Bumblebee raised his head to check on Blaster, taking care not to move too much so he wouldn't wake him up on accident. The little Sparkling was still snuggled up against him, tucked under the spare thermal blanket Bumblebee had brought from the medbay. Bumblebee felt a strong sense of relief. Maybe it was because he was still in recharge, but Blaster looked far more relaxed and at ease than he had since Optimus had returned to base with the little Sparkling in tow. At least Blaster felt safe enough to recharge. That was something.

And speaking of the rescue…Bumblebee made a mental note to thank Optimus and the others, especially Sideswipe and Computron. He'd been too worried about Blaster to think on doing so earlier, but now that things were finally-more or less-calmed down, he knew he needed to. But how soon he would be able to do so depended on how Blaster felt once he came out of recharge.

Suddenly, the little Sparkling stirred under the thermal blanket. With a very small squeak, Blaster stretched his little arms and legs, and unshuttered his optics. He looked around frantically for a few seconds, but calmed down relatively quickly as he recognized his surroundings. Clicking slightly, Blaster looked up at his caretaker, seeking comfort. Bumblebee formed his faceplates in as close to a smile as he could, hoping to reassure the Sparkling the rest of the way. To the young Autobot's relief, it worked, and he was rewarded with Blaster giving him a tiny, timid smile in return.

"Bee," Blaster squeaked, snuggling closer to his caretaker again. The Sparkling's voice was still far smaller and more timid that it had ever been-even during one of his bouts of shyness-and that made Bumblebee worry. He knew from first-hand experience that it took time to recover from being traumatized. Still, seeing the normally happy, playful Sparkling so quiet and timid made him feel helpless, even though he knew that just by simply being there, he was helping Blaster recover.

Bumblebee chirped soothingly at the Sparkling, reaching up and rubbing his back gently. He still wasn't sure how to go about this, how he could make Blaster feel better after his terrifying experience, but when Blaster clicked happily in contentment before snuggling closer again, the young Autobot knew that he was doing _something_ right, at least.

There was a soft knock on the door, disturbing the peaceful quiet of the room. At the sound, Blaster jumped and began to whimper again, once more hiding his face against his caretaker's armor, although, to Bumblebee's relief, his fear didn't seem to be as strong this time. Bumblebee warbled gently to the Sparkling to comfort and reassure him as he sat up, shifting his grip on Blaster so that he wouldn't fall. The young yellow Autobot had a feeling who was at the door-the knock didn't come from high up enough to be from an Autobot, so it had to be a human-and Ratchet had agreed to let them come see him and Blaster if they had wanted to.

"_Come on in,"_ Bumblebee quoted as he continued to comfort the still-whimpering Blaster.

The door opened a little, and Sam peered into the room.

"Hey, Bee, is it really okay for us to come in?" Sam asked hesitantly, noticing the whimpering little Sparkling that was cowering in his friend's arms. When Bumblebee nodded, the human opened the door the rest of the way and entered, Carly following. "We wanted to come in earlier but Optimus told us that both you and Blaster were asleep-I mean, recharging, and we didn't want to bother you."

"_It's-alright,"_ Bumblebee insisted. In his arms, Blaster peeked out to see who had come into the room. At the sight of Sam and Carly, his whimpers faded slightly; they were the human members of his family, his aunt and uncle, as he'd heard Bumblebee call them sometimes (even though Blaster was really too young to understand what those words meant exactly), and Blaster knew that they, like Bumblebee, would never let anything bad happen to him. He clicked softly at them, happy to see them too, although he made no move to leave the protection of his caretaker's arms.

"Is he okay?" Carly asked, looking at Blaster sympathetically.

Bumblebee shrugged, feeling worried all over again. _"He's scared. But-I think-he's-getting better-a little. And he's-not hurt-physically."_

"That's good," Sam said in relief. Noticing that Blaster was watching him with wide optics, the human smiled at the little Sparkling. "Hey, Blaster. You okay, little guy?"

The little red Sparkling gave a tiny nod, although he remained huddled against Bumblebee and continued to whimper every few minutes. "Uh-huh."

"Oh, yeah!" Sam turned and took something from Carly. "Optimus gave us something of yours to give back to you." He turned back around, and offered the stuffed penguin Blaster had dropped the night before, when the Decepticons had taken him, back to the little Sparkling.

Blaster's optics brightened and he reached for his favorite toy with a happy squeak. "Gin!"

Sam handed it over, and smiled, both at the way Blaster hugged his toy and at Bumblebee's relieved, happy expression at how the return of the toy had cheered Blaster up enough to bring him out of his timid attitude-for the time being, at least. Things wouldn't go back to normal for quite some time, however, judging by the way Blaster was still huddled in the yellow Autobot's arms, even though the Sparkling looked happier than he had a few minutes ago.

"There's one other thing." Carly stepped forward, and Bumblebee noticed that she was holding a paper grocery bag, which she reached into to pull something out. "When Optimus told us you were both in recharge, Sam and I decided to get something for Blaster…you know, something that might help him stay calm while you take care of him as he gets over this. Sideswipe took us into town and we found this-it's not a thermal blanket, but seeing as how Blaster likes to snuggle up in regular human blankets and towels, I don't think he'll mind." Carly held up the bag's contents for inspection.

It was a human blanket-not a large one, but one of the small fleece ones meant for an individual to use while traveling or for something similar. The blanket was a light blue color with a pattern of black musical notes on it, and Bumblebee chirped in approval as he took it from Carly. Thermal blankets were more useful than human blankets when it came to using them as a means to keep warm, but, as Carly said, Blaster liked to snuggle into human blankets and towels, often falling into recharge wrapped in them. The little Sparkling would love this. The young Autobot showed the blanket to Blaster, and the red Sparkling clicked curiously.

"Banket?" He asked, looking up at his caretaker. Was this for him? "Mine?" Bumblebee nodded, wrapping it around the Sparkling so that he was covered with it as well as the thermal blanket.

"It's for you, Blaster, from me and Sam," Carly told the Sparkling. "Do you like it?"

"Uh-huh," The little red Sparkling squeaked, grabbing one corner of the blanket and pulling it tighter around himself. Once he was done he quickly settled, once again snuggling up against his caretaker. He didn't go back into recharge, but he remained mostly quiet; he was obviously more at ease, but the timid expression that remained on his faceplate, and the fact that he had begun sucking on his left fist-a self-comforting thing that he did only when he was upset or tired- was enough to let the present members of his family-human and Autobot both-know that their earlier assumptions had been correct.

It was going to take time for Blaster to get over this, but they had, at least, had a good start at helping him do so.

"How's your leg, Bee?" Sam asked after a few minutes of silence, broken only by Blaster's occasional whimpers, had gone by.

"S-sore," Bumblebee admitted. "B-but a-at l-least I c-can w-walk on it n-now, e-even if I'm l-limping."

"Ratchet told us that you're going to need to stay on the base until your leg heals enough for you to be able to Transform," Sam continued. "Do you want us to stay here and keep you company?"

"_I'd like that-but…"_ Bumblebee looked down at Blaster, who was still huddled against him, clinging tightly to his stuffed penguin with his left fist still in his mouth. The little red Sparkling was staying quiet for the most part, but every now and then he would let out a very faint whimper. Looking back at the human members of his family, Bumblebee vented deeply to steady himself, and shifted back to using his real voice. "W-with Blaster t-the w-way h-he is, I d-don't t-think it'll b-be a v-very r-restful n-night…I w-was l-lucky t-to g-get h-him into r-recharge e-earlier. Y-you b-both s-should g-go home a-and get s-some rest. I'll b-be f-fine. I…I a-appreciate it, t-though." The young Autobot looked worried. He didn't want to hurt Sam and Carly's feelings. "B-but I t-think t-that Blaster n-needs t-to be w-with j-just _me_ f-for n-now. Is t-that o-okay?"

"Hey, you're Blaster's caretaker, Bee. If that's what you think is best, then it's fine with me," Sam reassured his friend. He looked to Carly, and, after she returned his look with a nod of agreement, he focused his attention back on his Autobot friend. "We're fine with it, Bee. It's okay. We'll stay for a while and then get Sideswipe or someone to take us home later."

Bumblebee chirped gratefully at them, the relief that filled him at his human brother's sincere acceptance of his request (and Carly's, too) was more than enough to dispel the worry he'd felt before asking in the first place. Grabbing the empty Energon bottle off of the table he had sat it on earlier, the young Autobot stood up, flinching only a little as he put weight on his right leg. Blaster let out a squeak at the movement, and Bumblebee adjusted his hold so that he still had a secure grip on the Sparkling.

"Where are you going, Bee?" Sam asked curiously as Bumblebee began to limp towards the door.

"B-back to t-the m-medbay," Bumblebee explained, holding up the empty Energon bottle. "T-to g-give t-this back to R-Ratchet." At the door, Bumblebee, paused, and with a nervous expression, turned back to his friends, who were closely following him. "D-don't tell h-him t-that I've b-been u-using my r-real v-voice…p-please?"

"Don't worry, Bumblebee," Carly assured him.

"Yeah." Sam made a zipping motion across his mouth. "Our lips are sealed."

The young Autobot formed his faceplates into a smile as best as he could, and then he opened the door, exiting the room with the human members of his family close behind him.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee wasn't the only Autobot who had just awoken from recharge that evening. Diesel hadn't gotten any rest since before his initial arrival on Earth, so, after the gray armored Autobot had been treated for the injuries the Decepticons had inflicted and then hastily repaired, Optimus had allowed him time for a few hours' recharge before he was asked any questions regarding his capture (even though he knew the answers were needed, he wasn't going to force Diesel to talk when he was exhausted). And, in addition to the newly-arrived Diesel, Computron and Sideswipe had also been allowed to rest before they, too, gave their reports on what they had learned while facing the Decepticons.<p>

While they had been resting, Optimus had led another patrol back to the abandoned factory that had served as the Decepticons' base, only to find it deserted. A thorough search throughout the entire structure had revealed that the Decepticons had fled, but where they had gone was unknown. A search of the surrounding area had yielded no results, so the Autobots had returned to the base. With apparently no more Decepticons left nearby, the Autobots needed the information Sideswipe, Diesel, and Computron had. It was all they had to go by now.

Due to the fact that Diesel was still recovering (and had yet to be assigned his own quarters on the base), the reports were to be given in the medbay. Ratchet, Mirage, and Firestorm were present, and Optimus had recently arrived, having left Trailbreaker in the care of Silverbolt when Ratchet had commed him to let him know that Sideswipe, Computron, and Diesel had come out of recharge and were all ready to share what they had discovered. As he looked over the three Autobots who waited silently for permission to begin sharing their information, Optimus briefly wondered if he should have sent for Scattershot as well. No doubt he knew more about the Decepticon plans than any Autobot present (seeing as how he _was_ a Decepticon…or at least, he _had_ been), but he just as quickly dismissed the idea. Scattershot had been treated for his injury and then sent to one of the spare rooms that were set aside to serve as quarters for any new Autobot arrivals, but he was still in shock from what had happened, and was in no condition to share information. Prowl was guarding him and had promised to alert the others to any changes in the orange-armored mech's condition. For the time being, their information on the Deception plans would have to come from Diesel, Computron, and Sideswipe.

Before Optimus began to question the three Autobots, however, the door to the medbay opened, and Bumblebee stepped in, followed closely by Sam and Carly. Blaster was still held securely in Bumblebee's arms, and the little Sparkling looked over them all timidly before once again hiding his face against his caretaker's armor.

Upon seeing Optimus, Sideswipe, Computron, and Diesel standing relatively close to each other and obviously in the middle of a conversation, Sam stopped, looking over the assembled Autobots in confusion. "Er…are we interrupting something?"

"Not at the moment," Optimus assured. "We were just getting ready to discuss what we know of the possible Decepticon plans, based on information these three managed to pick up while they were at the Decepticon base." He gestured towards Sideswipe, Computron, and Diesel.

_Do we need to leave, sir?_ Bumblebee asked hesitantly.

"No, you do not have to leave, Bumblebee. You may stay and listen, if you wish." Optimus shifted his attention to Blaster. "As long as you are able, that is."

_He's alright as long as I hold him_, Bumblebee replied in response to the hidden inquiry in the Prime's words.

Optimus nodded. "Very well, Bumblebee. Sam, Carly, you are welcome to stay as well."

Bumblebee chirped gratefully and limped over to where Ratchet was standing next to his desk. Sam and Carly followed, although both humans cast curious glances at the Autobots who were standing together.

The Prime watched as Ratchet took an empty Energon bottle that Bumblebee offered him and then began to look over Blaster once more to see how he was doing, before he refocused his attention on the task at hand. He looked to Diesel first. "Diesel, you said that the Decepticons were waiting to capture you when you made planetfall. Did they ever mention exactly _why_ they wanted to capture you?"

The gray mech shook his head. "No, sir. Not exactly. They never mentioned why they wanted me as their prisoner directly to me, but I was able to overhear them talking to each other outside the room they kept me and Blaster in at the factory. Something about…me being an important part of a plan." Diesel frowned, confusion showing in his optics. "They said they needed me alive for their plan to work, but they were planning on killing me in the long run."

"I see." Optimus looked troubled. "And did they mention what it was they wanted Blaster for?" At the Prime's question, Bumblebee looked up sharply, focusing his attention on Diesel as he anxiously awaited the gray mech's answer.

"Yes." Diesel nodded. "If they could get a hold of the resources to do so, they were planning on…on force-upgrading him."

Diesel's statement caused the other Autobots present to let out various cries and hisses of outrage; Firestorm, Mirage and Ratchet all looked angry, and even Optimus found himself struggling to hold back his fury at what the Decepticons had wanted to do. Next to Diesel, Computron and Sideswipe looked at each other; they hadn't heard what the Decepticons had planned to do until now, and they were both horrified at the thought of what could have happened to Blaster if they hadn't arrived in time to get him and Diesel away.

"What's that mean-a forced-upgrade? What's that?" Sam asked hesitantly, unsure if he should even be asking about it in the first place. The reactions of the others were more than enough to let him know that it was something very, very bad.

Bumblebee held Blaster closer, looking both horrified at the prospect of what could have happened to the little red Sparkling and relieved at the fact that it hadn't. The young Autobot had never seen a Cybertronian who'd received a forced-upgrade, but he'd heard stories. It was nightmare fuel, as the humans would call it. _"It's something horrible."_

"A forced-upgrade," Ratchet explained, anger still present in his voice, "Is when a Cybertronian is given a complete upgrade to a different, more powerful body without the standard medical precautions. Normally, complete upgrades are only a last resort for when the old body is too damaged for repair, and they are performed gradually over a lengthy amount of time. But forced-upgrades are performed over a very short amount of time. The stress from the sudden change usually makes the recipient of the upgrade to go mad, and it also causes system damage that results in the recipient not living very long after the upgrade is performed. But while they are alive, they are dangerous. While they live it is a fate worse than death, and it is merciful to send them offline so they won't suffer any more."

"The technology required to perform a forced-upgrade was invented by Shockwave," Optimus said gravely, continuing where Ratchet had left off. "Megatron wanted a way to make use of Autobot captives, and Shockwave gave it to him. The prisoners would receive the upgrade and then they would be turned on us once they had lost their minds and were no longer able to distinguish us as friends. We tried to find a way to reverse the process, but we were unsuccessful, and we were forced to end the suffering of our friends. As the war went on, eventually the means to perform the upgrades required too much of the Decepticon Energon reserves, so Megatron stopped having Shockwave carry them out. It is one of the very few decisions Megatron had ever made as Decepticon leader that actually benefitted the Autobots, even though he did not intend for it to do so."

Now that he knew the details of just what a force-upgrade was, Sam found himself torn between being horrified and furious. He'd known the Decepticons were cruel, and knowing they'd do something as terrible as force an Autobot into madness, just so that they would attack their friends…and that they were willing to do it to a _baby_…it disgusted him and reinforced his view of the Decepticons being complete monsters. He glanced at Carly and could tell that she felt exactly the same way.

"Forced-upgrades did not come into existence until some time after I left the Decepticon ranks, but I nevertheless heard about them." Firestorm shook his head. "Knowing that they would do something so cruel, especially to a defenseless Sparkling…I am _glad_ I left them."

"Fortunately, they were not successful this time." Optimus once again smiled faintly at Diesel, Computron and Sideswipe. "Our brave rescuers were able to prevent that from happening." The Prime quickly turned serious again, however, as there was more to learn. "Sideswipe, Computron. Were you able to find out anything, as well?"

"We didn't find anything new, but we can confirm what Diesel is saying about one thing," Computron replied.

"The Decepticons were pretty insistent about keeping us alive. They didn't want to run the risk of fighting and possibly killing us," Sideswipe added. "It was only after we refused to hand ourselves and Blaster over that they fought. But now that we know what Diesel overheard…I doubt they would have kept us alive very long if we _had_ surrendered."

"I believe you are right," Optimus agreed. "Decepticons are not known for showing mercy to those they capture. At least, not for very long." The Prime was silent for a moment. He still looked troubled. "The fact that they wanted to keep you alive as captives, and were insistent that it was important that you _remained_ alive despite the fact that they planned to kill you eventually, is very troubling. What reason would they have for doing so?"

"Whatever it was, you can bet that it wasn't a good one," Computron mused darkly.

Diesel had been silently fidgeting ever since he had finished giving his report. Finally, he looked back up at Optimus. "Sir, there's one more thing. The Decepticon called Salvo seemed to be in charge of what they were doing at their base, with Bullseye, Howlback, and Skyjack following his orders but clearly higher ranked than the others. But…I think Salvo is more of a Second-in-Command in the long run. Bullseye mentioned that they were following the orders of someone named Cyclonus…and there's only one Decepticon that bears that designation."

"The Decepticon Air Commander," Optimus replied, a troubled expression crossing his faceplate.

_He's…he's here? On Earth?_ Bumblebee asked hesitantly, the nervousness his words did not convey over his comm showing clearly in his optics. He'd only seen the Decepticon Air Commander once, back when he was very small-Cyclonus had led the air strike on Iacon when the Autobots had evacuated it for the colonies-and even though most of his memories of that time were blurry due to how young he had been, the experience had been terrifying enough to be seared vividly and clearly into his processor.

"I would assume so, Bumblebee," Optimus responded gravely. Noticing the confused looks on Sam and Carly's faces, the Prime explained, "Due to Starscream having other duties as Megatron's Second-in-Command, Cyclonus was given the title of Air Commander and was in charge of the flight-capable Decepticons in the war on Cybertron. He was fiercely loyal to Megatron, so I am guessing that he took charge of the Decepticons once he arrived on Earth and realized that Megatron was destroyed. He is no doubt planning to avenge his fallen leader."

"So we are facing a threat from the Decepticons on top of what we already have to deal with concerning Unicron," Mirage spoke up next. He looked at Optimus. "We decreased the patrols we were doing because we decided to focus on fighting Unicron. But with the Decepticons active again, we should start them up again, right?"

"We have no choice," Optimus agreed. "I have no doubt that Cyclonus will attempt another attack on us. He may even do so in person. We do not know what information the Decepticons took when they damaged Teletraan-I, but Cyclonus will more than likely use it against us. Therefore, we must prepare for a confrontation with the Decepticons in addition to the one with Unicron. We will need to increase the patrols again, and carry out more training exercises. Computron, you must work to get Teletraan-I back online so that we can learn what was taken. I will inform the humans about this new development. Mirage, you need to go and inform Prowl of the changes that are being made."

"But don't I need to stay here and guard Firestorm?" Mirage questioned.

"I will address that right now." Optimus stepped forward and looked evenly at Firestorm. The old Decepticon looked back at him, apprehension visible in his optics. Sensing the solemn importance of the conversation that was taking place, the others present in the medbay-human and Autobot alike-remained respectfully silent, watching, except for Blaster, who still made occasional whimpering sounds. "Firestorm, you traveled to Earth to warn us of Unicron. In the days that you have been with us, you have cooperated with us every step of the way. You have been honest with us, and you have shown respect for our human allies. You fought bravely in the battle against the Decepticon strike force last night, and you saved the lives of Bumblebee and Sam in doing so." Optimus nodded respectfully. "You have earned my trust. You will no longer be treated as a suspect prisoner."

Firestorm lowered his head in gratitude. "Thank you, Optimus Prime. I will try my hardest to ensure that your trust in me is not misplaced."

"You will join the Autobot ranks, then?" Optimus questioned.

The old Seeker's optics widened, and he shook his head. "No. Not yet. I am not…worthy for that. Not yet." His shoulders slumped. "Not until I have helped you to defeat Unicron and ensured the safety of this planet will I have finally earned the right to replace this…" He gestured to the battered Decepticon insignia on his chassis. "This _stain_… with an Autobot insignia. I…I am sorry, but I need to wait. But I _will_ fight for your cause."

"That is enough," Optimus responded. "Thank you." The Prime turned in the direction of the door. "I will go and inform the humans about what we have concluded now. Computron, Mirage, attend to the duties I have given you. Sideswipe, I am sure Fireflight is anxious to see you; he is in the main hangar with the other Sparklings. Sunstreaker has also been wanting to see you. He refuses to believe that you are all right until he sees you with his own optics, so go and put his processor at ease. And, Diesel, rest. Your injuries need to heal." He looked over Bumblebee next, taking note of the still-whimpering Blaster with concern. "Bumblebee, when you are ready, I will have someone show you to your temporary quarters."

Bumblebee nodded. _Yes, sir._

"And what shall I do, Optimus Prime?" Firestorm asked.

"Assist Ratchet, if he needs it, please."

_Optimus?_ Bumblebee asked.

The Prime turned and looked evenly at the scout. "Yes, Bumblebee?"

_Thank you, sir._

The young Autobot didn't need to elaborate what his words meant. The Prime understood, and favored Bumblebee with a smile. "You are welcome, Bumblebee."

Optimus left the medbay then, giving a parting, respectful nod to Sam and Carly as he exited the door. Mirage gave Firestorm one last cautious and suspicious look, shook his head, and followed after Optimus, the medbay door sliding shut behind him.

"Well, I'd better get to work." Computron took to the air. "Teletraan-I isn't going to repair itself."

Sideswipe nodded, getting up as well. Like Mirage, he also shot a suspicious look in Firestorm's direction, but didn't say anything as he headed for the door.

_Wait_, Bumblebee sent hesitantly.

Sideswipe looked curiously at the younger Autobot, and Computron flew over and perched on the silver mech's shoulder as he, too, considered Bumblebee. "What is it?" Sideswipe asked.

Bumblebee looked from Computron to Sideswipe before shifting his glance to Diesel. _Thank you. Thank you for saving Blaster. _He looked at Blaster, who was still hiding his face against his armor and whimpering softly, and then looked back up at the three older mechs. _ All three of you…thank you. I…I can never thank you enough. I mean it._

Sideswipe smiled at the younger mech. "You're welcome, Bumblebee. I know that you would have done the same for Fireflight."

Computron nodded in agreement from his perch on Sideswipe's shoulder.

Diesel also smiled, but his was more hesitant; he still wasn't used to being around others. "You're welcome."

Bumblebee looked at them gratefully. Computron and Sideswipe once again resumed their course to the door, and Sideswipe gave the younger Autobot's shoulder a friendly, light cuff as he left the medbay with Computron still perched on his shoulder. "Take care of him, kid. Blaster needs you right now." The silver mech then turned his attention to Sam and Carly. "Hey, when you're ready to go home, let me know, okay? I'll take you there."

"Okay. Thanks, Sideswipe," Sam replied with a nod.

Once Sideswipe and Computron were gone, Bumblebee turned around just in time to take the newly-refilled Energon bottle back from Ratchet.

"Now, he probably won't need that one just yet, but it will be better for you to have it on-hand for when he's hungry again." Ratchet turned away, facing Diesel as he began to scan the gray mech's arm to make sure the damage there was healing. "Did he get much recharge?"

_It took a while to get him calmed to the point where he could recharge,_ Bumblebee explained. _But he was in recharge until about…fifteen minutes before I came here._

Ratchet nodded. "I see. Well, with the stress he just went through, he'll probably need to recharge again in a few hours." He finished with the scan. "Well, Diesel, your arm's healing, as well as it can. Unfortunately I can't restore the weapons you lost. I'll have to come up with something new."

"That's okay," Diesel replied. "I'm sure I'll find some way to get around them being gone until you find something else."

"How's your optic?" Ratchet asked next, examining the optic in question as he spoke. "Any pain or new vision problems?"

"It doesn't hurt. My vision's still a little blurry, but it's a lot clearer than it was earlier," Diesel replied, reaching up to gingerly touch the armor above his injured optic.

"Hmm. Sounds right for how it looks. If your vision starts getting worse, let me know_ immediately_. You're done for now. Once you're better, we'll see if we can find an alt mode for you. Get some more rest; you need it. " Ratchet waved a hand at the gray mech before returning his attention to Bumblebee. "How's your leg?"

_It still hurts and I'm still limping, but I think I can put more weight on it now that I could earlier._

"Good. Keep trying to walk on it as normally as possible, and it will be healed in no time. Now scat. All of you," He added, looking Sam and Carly. "There is a patient here that needs rest, and a student who has some datapads to read." He waved Bumblebee and his family out of the medbay. "Come back if you have any questions about how to help Blaster, though, Bumblebee."

_Will do, Ratchet,_ Bumblebee replied as the door slid shut behind him.

Ratchet walked over to his desk and gathered some datapads. "Luckily these function separately from the Autobot Network." He turned to Firestorm, offering the old Seeker the datapads.

Firestorm looked the medic in confusion as he took the datapads he was offered. "What are these for, Ratchet?" However, almost as soon as he said those words, he understood, and his optics shone with gratitude at what the medic was offering.

"You said you wanted to study to be a medic, Firestorm, and you're never too old to learn something new. Are you ready for your first lesson?"

* * *

><p>Due to the fact that it was quickly growing later in the evening, no proper meeting had really been called to discuss these new plans. Optimus Prime had simply gathered the first human members of NEST that he had come across (and thankfully, Will Lennox had been among them) and informed them of what had been discovered-that the Decepticons were planning something. While the base attack had caused both the human and Autobot members of the NEST to guess that that was the case, the reports Computron, Sideswipe, and Diesel had given to Optimus had confirmed it as being true. Now that they knew without a doubt that they would have to seriously anticipate and be ready for another attack, actual preparations could be made. The conclusions they had reached were the same as the ones the Autobots had in the medbay-extra patrols again, and more training exercises, including ones for the human soldiers.<p>

Even though only a few humans so far had been informed of the discoveries that had been made, the news that the Decepticons were back and up to their old tricks spread throughout the base relatively quickly. As a result, even though there wasn't much of the day left in which to do so, the details were worked out rather quickly. The humans went about this task with a renewed vigor, perhaps to make up for the fact that they would be unable to help in the fight against Unicron. Earthbound Decepticons were something they could actually help their Autobot friends with, unlike the approaching battle that would take place on the fringes of the solar system.

For the time being, however, they had only focused on what they were going to do. It was too late to start anything that night, but in the morning, the extra patrols would resume, and both the humans and Autobots would start up training for what was surely coming from the Decepticons. In addition to that, the Autobots still had the extra training exercises they were undergoing to prepare for the fight with Unicron.

And there was another important matter to deal with; now that they had learned what the Decepticons had planned to do to Blaster (and would no doubt _try_ to do to him- and the others if they found out about them-if they got hold of him again), they needed to take extra care when it came to protecting the Sparklings. From now on, whenever the Sparklings were in the play area, they would be watched by no less than two Autobots-those who would do so would be rotated so that everyone would spend the same amount of time training, patrolling, and watching the Sparklings. Any other time, the Sparklings would remain with their caretakers. Also, any humans who wanted to would be allowed to take part in the Sparkling-Sitting duty. Fortunately, the Sparklings were all still young enough that they wouldn't mind not being able to wander around as much as they used to. The Autobots had always been protective of the Sparklings, but the idea of restricting most of their usual freedom did not appeal to the Prime in the least, even if it was to help protect them. He hoped that it wouldn't last too long.

Optimus Prime knew that the coming months were going to be extremely busy for everyone, human and Autobot alike. It would no doubt be incredibly difficult. But with the fate of the planet, their shared home, once again at stake, and this time from _two_ threats, it would be worth it.

He'd just finished speaking with the humans and had gone to retrieve Trailbreaker from the Sparkling play area, where Sunstreaker (who had recently been joined by his brother) and Silverbolt had been watching over all of the little ones-except for Blaster, of course-when he noticed Prowl walking towards him.

"In a moment, Trailbreaker, I promise," Optimus told the Sparkling, who was trying to get his caretaker's attention by waving some of his toys around. Trailbreaker didn't seem too happy about having to wait but accepted it anyway, wandering back over to the other Sparklings. Seeing that, Optimus turned his attention back to Prowl. He knew what the Head of Security was there to report.

"How is he?" The Prime questioned.

"Still in shock," Prowl replied, shaking his head. "He hasn't moved from the corner he sat down in when we placed him in his new quarters. I never would have expected this behavior from a Decepticon-even one that's been kicked out and given a death threat by his fellow faction members. He seems…sad."

"He said himself that the Decepticons are basically all he has ever known, Prowl," Optimus reminded the Head of Security. "For all intents and purposes, he has been exiled from the only family he can clearly remember ever having. Yes, the Decepticons are far from what you would call a wonderful family, but the fact remains that they were his. He has lost that. Could we really expect him to react any different than he is now?"

"You're right, Prime." Prowl looked concerned. "In that case, I think we should just give him some time to come to terms with it. But what are we going to do with him in the long run? Keep him prisoner? For the rest of his life?"

"I would like to give him a chance here with us," Optimus responded firmly. "From what I understand, based on what was said by Salvo, Scattershot did not have much of a life amongst the Decepticons in the first place. Here, we can help him. Based on both what Salvo said and Scattershot's reaction to what Salvo and Bullseye did to him, I do not think we have anything to fear from him. However, just as we did with Firestorm, we will keep him under guard for the time being. Keep checking on him to make sure he is alright. The moment he starts to come out of his shock, let me know. I want to speak with him again. I have a suspicion about how he became a Decepticon in the first place, but I can only confirm it by asking him if it is true."

Prowl nodded. "Understood, Optimus. I'll do that." The Security Officer fought back a smile as Trailbreaker, his stuffed bear tucked firmly under one arm, walked unsteadily back to his caretaker and began tugging on Optimus's hand insistently. "In the meantime, though, you'd better pay attention to Trailbreaker or you'll have a full-scale uprising on your hands."

Optimus chuckled slightly. "Yes, you are right. Thank you for your report, and continue to keep watch over our guest." That said, the Prime knelt so that he was more at Trailbreaker's level. "Yes, Trailbreaker, what is it?"

Trailbreaker pointed at something behind Optimus, on the side of the hangar that led to the Medbay. Optimus turned his head slightly to see what the Sparkling was pointing at, and saw Bumblebee-still-carrying Blaster-coming into the hangar, closely followed by Sam and Carly.

"Blaster gonna play wi' us, Opt?" Trailbreaker asked curiously.

"I do not think so, little one," Optimus said regretfully, turning back to face his Sparkling charge. "He is not feeling very well at the moment."

"Blaster sick?"

"Yes, that is one way to say it," Optimus replied. He was careful to phrase his reply in a simple enough way so the Sparkling would understand; Trailbreaker might be the oldest of the Sparklings, but he was still, to use the human term, only a toddler. "I am sure he will feel much better once he has had some more recharge."

"Opt sure?" Trailbreaker asked. The Sparkling both looked and sounded worried about his younger friend.

"Yes, Trailbreaker." Optimus smiled slightly at Trailbreaker's concern over how Blaster was feeling. "I am sure."

Trailbreaker still looked worried, but accepted his caretaker's answer. "'kay."

"I am certain he will want to play with you and the others once he is feeling better," The Prime reassured. He looked over the other Sparklings in the play area, taking note of how little playing was actually going on at the moment-Fireflight had crawled onto Sideswipe's lap and fallen into partial recharge, and Beachcomber and First Aid were, to use the human term, 'nodding off' from where they were sitting next to Silverbolt, who was watching them until Ratchet came to take them back to the medbay. Of course; it might not be that late for the humans and the older Autobots on base, but for the Sparklings, it was well past the time for their nightly recharge. The empty Energon bottles scattered around the play area showed that they had recently been fed, which was another contributing factor to their drowsiness. "Right now, though, it is past your recharge time."

"Not tired, Opt," Trailbreaker protested, but his droopy optics were more than enough to prove his statement as not being true.

"No, of course not," Optimus said with quiet amusement, holding his arms out. "Come on."

The Sparkling hesitated for only a moment, before relenting and allowing his caretaker to pick him up. The fact that he did not protest any more showed just how ready for recharge he actually was.

Once he had a firm hold on Trailbreaker, Optimus turned around and headed towards the corridor that led to the hangars that housed the individual Autobot quarters. He came to a stop next to Bumblebee, and the younger Autobot looked up at him curiously.

"How is Blaster doing, Bumblebee?" The Prime asked. He'd actually been meaning to ask after the little Sparkling's wellbeing earlier, but the reports given by Sideswipe, Computron, and Diesel had required immediate attention. Ratchet had been examining Blaster at the time, anyway, and Optimus knew the medic didn't like to be interrupted in his work.

_He's a little calmer than he was earlier, but he's still jumpy and scared. Any sudden noise or movement is more than enough to set him off again,_ Bumblebee replied. The younger Autobot looked downcast. _I want to help him feel better, but I…I don't know what to do._

Optimus shifted his gaze to Blaster. The little Sparkling was wrapped in both the thermal blanket and the human blanket Sam and Carly had gotten for him. He was clinging to his stuffed penguin tightly and huddled as close to his caretaker as he could, his face still against Bumblebee's shoulder armor. The faint whimpers that continued to escape him made it perfectly clear that he was still upset. But also, as Bumblebee had said, it was also obvious that he was slightly calmer than he had been in the beginning.

"From what I can see," Optimus commented, looking back at Bumblebee, "The fact that you are simply being there for him is helping him to heal." He regarded the young Autobot thoughtfully for a moment. "Do you remember how you were helped to heal from Tyger Pax?"

_Yes._ Bumblebee nodded. _Ironhide just stayed with me the entire time, and if I needed anything, he got it for me._ Even though he still felt a painful lurch in his Spark when he thought of former caretaker, this time it was followed by a trickle of hope. He could do the same for Blaster now as Ironhide had done for him-stay with the little Sparkling, and make sure he had whatever he needed to feel safe and comforted while he recovered from his traumatizing ordeal. It was what he had been doing, but Optimus's reminder of how the same methods had helped him made him realize that it _was _the best way to care for Blaster now.

Optimus saw Bumblebee's expression and knew that the younger Autobot had come to the same conclusion as he had when he had reminded him of past events. "Exactly. By learning from what worked for you in a similar situation, you can help Blaster in the same way you were helped to recover." He smiled faintly. "You already seem to have had a good start doing so."

Bumblebee nodded gratefully at the Autobot leader. _Thank you, sir._

"You are welcome." Optimus looked back at Blaster, and then shifted his attention to Bumblebee once again. "Every one of us needs a push in the right direction now and again, Bumblebee. Do not hesitate to ask myself, Ratchet, or one of the others for help if you need it while Blaster is recovering, but I know you will do just fine on your own."

_I'll try my best, sir, _Bumblebee replied.

"Bee won't be alone," Sam spoke up, his voice firm. "Blaster's part of our family too and we're going to do everything we can to make sure he feels better."

"If Bumblebee or Blaster needs us, we'll be there," Carly added.

Optimus inclined his head respectfully towards the two humans. "I am sure you will help Bumblebee and Blaster a great deal. Now, you will have to excuse me…" He shifted his hold on Trailbreaker; the Sparkling had fallen into recharge during the Prime's discussion with Bumblebee and the others, despite his earlier insistence that he was not tired. "I need to get Trailbreaker into his berth for the night."

"Okay, Optimus. We'll see you tomorrow."

Optimus nodded. "Yes, tomorrow." He turned and resumed the walk towards the hall that led to his quarters.

_Optimus, sir?_ Bumblebee asked.

_Yes, Bumblebee?_ The Prime replied via comm, continuing to walk, sensing that Bumblebee didn't want him to stop on his account.

_I know I told you earlier, but…thank you, sir. For…for everything._

Even though Bumblebee could not see it, Optimus knew that the younger Autobot would sense the smile even in the silent words over the comm. _You are welcome, young one._

* * *

><p>Three hours later, Bumblebee found himself alone with Blaster in one of the many empty rooms that had been set up to serve as quarters for any future Autobot arrivals. An hour earlier, Sideswipe, after seeing Fireflight to recharge and leaving the Sparkling in the care of his brother, had taken Sam and Carly home, leaving Bumblebee and Blaster to themselves. Before they had left, the human members of his family had promised to come back to the base as soon as they could in the morning. In the meantime, Bumblebee would spend the night alone with his Sparkling charge, which would hopefully help him along in the healing process.<p>

Due to the fact that it was a spare room, the furnishings in his new quarters were sparse. There was a berth, an Autobot-sized desk and matching chair, some empty shelves, and Ratchet had arranged for the placement of one of the extra Sparkling berths inside the room, as well as a warmer for the Energon bottle he had been given earlier for when Blaster was hungry again. That was pretty much it. Bumblebee wasn't bothered by the room's lack of furnishings, though; he was only going to be here a few days so it didn't matter.

As Bumblebee began to head to the Sparkling berth, Blaster finally lifted his head and looked around at the room. The little Sparkling seemed mildly curious about this new place, and even though he was still quietly whimpering, Bumblebee took Blaster's interest-however slight-as a good sign. As soon as the Sparkling saw the berth, however, he cried out in protest and huddled as close to Bumblebee as he could, shaking his head desperately as he clung tightly to his caretaker.

"No, Bee, no! Stay wi' you," Blaster pleaded in a tiny voice.

_Looks like he won't be able to recharge by himself any time soon_, Bumblebee thought sadly, mentally berating himself for even thinking of putting Blaster down when the Sparkling clearly had no desire to be separated from him again. He reassured Blaster with a soft chirp, moving away from the Sparkling berth to set the bottle of Energon on the nearby desk. That done, the young Autobot limped over to his berth and sat down briefly before stretching out on it, adjusting his hold on Blaster as he did so, making sure that both the thermal blanket and the blanket Sam and Carly had brought still remained wrapped around the little Sparkling. He didn't think it was necessary at the moment, as Blaster was calmer than he had been that afternoon, but Bumblebee nevertheless shifted through the radio stations until he found another appropriate one, ready to let the music play if Blaster needed him to do so again.

Once he realized that Bumblebee wasn't going to put him in the Sparkling berth, Blaster settled down again. He looked around the room once more, clicking, before affectionately snuggling back against his caretaker. He didn't feel like recharging just yet, and he had no desire to leave the protection of Bumblebee's arms. Besides, if he didn't stay with Bumblebee, the bad ones would come and try to take him away again. As long as he was with Bumblebee, though, Blaster knew they couldn't touch him. Bumblebee would protect him.

The young Autobot and the little Sparkling remained that way for nearly an hour; Bumblebee holding his Sparkling charge to comfort him and Blaster snuggled as close to his caretaker as he could get. Blaster's whimpers had finally stopped, his caretaker's presence soothing him and making him feel safe. When Blaster had been quiet for nearly fifteen minutes, Bumblebee started to think that Blaster had slipped into recharge. However, his thoughts were proven wrong when the little Sparkling looked up at him-while there was a definite droop to his optics that showed he was tired, he was stubbornly clinging to wakefulness.

Bumblebee vented a sigh, rubbing Blaster's head gently with one finger on his free hand. _"Time for bed," _He quoted, hoping the Sparkling would understand.

Blaster shook his head stubbornly, and looked over towards the desk. Bumblebee followed the Sparkling's gaze and saw that he was looking to where the Energon bottle the young Autobot had brought with him still rested.

Blaster reached in the direction of the bottle with one hand, clicking softly. "'ungry, Bee."

With an understanding chirp, Bumblebee sat up, adjusting his hold on Blaster when the little Sparkling squeaked at the movement. Standing up, he limped to the desk, grabbing the Energon bottle and placing it in the warmer Ratchet had placed in the room earlier. Blaster watched every movement his caretaker made, and let out a very quiet, happy squeak when the Energon was finally ready and Bumblebee handed him the bottle.

Despite the fact that he was perfectly capable of holding the bottle himself while he fed, Blaster didn't take hold of it completely when Bumblebee gave it to him. Bumblebee noticed this immediately and didn't let go of the bottle, preventing it from spilling.

_He's still so stressed and tired from what happened he doesn't have the energy to feed himself, _Bumblebee thought, watching as Blaster sucked contentedly on the bottle, one tiny hand firmly holding one of his caretaker's fingers and the other just barely holding on to the bottle. While it was true that he had held onto the bottle when he had been fed earlier that day, he had loosened his hold on it almost immediately then, too. The fact that he was doing the same thing again, combined with his actions since waking up from recharge earlier, proved that, even though he did seem calmer, Blaster was still very stressed and upset. But at least now, having been fed, he would hopefully be able to get some more needed recharge.

With a sound very similar to a human hiccup, Blaster finished the last of the Energon from the bottle and pulled back from it. With another chirp, Bumblebee sat the empty bottle back on the desk and returned to his berth, stretching back out on it, shifting his hold on Blaster so that once again the Sparkling rested on the armor above his Spark chamber. His leg was aching, but he put that from his processor, doing his best to ignore it. Blaster needed more attention than his stupid leg. His leg would heal on its own. Blaster, on the other hand, needed help to heal.

Blaster was already drowsy due to it being after his recharge time-the stress of what he had recently gone through made the fact that he had recharged earlier pretty much a moot point-and now his full fuel tanks made him finally give up his stubborn fight against falling into recharge. Bumblebee tucked both blankets around the Sparkling, returning the stuffed penguin-which had been set aside on the berth when Blaster had been fed-back to its owner, who hugged it tightly.

The little Sparkling let out a series of very soft, contented clicks, shuttering his optics and curling into a ball, just as he used to do when he recharged as a Hatchling. Blaster was in recharge almost as soon as he shuttered his optics.

Bumblebee watched Blaster protectively for a moment, before resting his head on the berth and shuttering his optics as well. He wasn't particularly tired, but he knew he needed to be well-rested for the next day. He had a Sparkling to take care of.

And he still needed to think of something nice to give the two human members of his family.

* * *

><p>The last few days of August passed uneventfully enough, bringing a month that had been packed with surprises, new friends, battles, and disturbing revelations to an end. The only things that had taken place over the last days of the month worth noting were the increased patrols (which had found no signs of continued Decepticon activity in the state) and the extra training exercises. Both the human and Autobot members of NEST had fallen into a familiar pattern of training, patrolling, and Sparkling-sitting. Not always in that particular order, of course, but each day contained all three events. All were necessary, and were held in the utmost importance.<p>

Bumblebee normally enjoyed the changing of the seasons, especially summer into fall. He loved how colorful the leaves became. But not this year. Every leaf he saw, even though they were all still green for the most part, only served to remind him that summer was over, fall was on its way, and with it, the arrival of Unicron and the coming battle against him was rapidly approaching as November drew closer. The knowledge that the Decepticons were planning something was bad enough, but the threat of Unicron hung like a dark cloud over everyone's thoughts. The young Autobot scout was absolutely terrified at the thought of facing Unicron, but he was willing to do it to protect his family.

But…

He was still scared. He couldn't help it; he knew that, even with all the training and preparation the Autobots were undergoing, there was a very strong chance that none of them would survive the battle. But what _really_ scared him was knowing that, if the Autobots failed to defeat Unicron, Earth and everyone on it would be destroyed; knowing that his family would be killed if the worst happened.

The young Autobot was pulled from his troubled thoughts by a small squeak from somewhere near his feet. With a chirp, he looked down, and the sight that greeted him-Blaster stacking some toy blocks on top of each other-made him smile. Well, as close as he could get to smiling, anyway.

Blaster turned to Bumblebee, offering him one of the toy blocks. "Here go, Bee."

Bumblebee took it with another chirp, watching as the little Sparkling placed another block in front of his stuffed penguin-with another "Here go"- before returning his attention to the blocks he was building with. Seeing Blaster cheerful and playful again filled his Spark with relief, even though he knew Blaster was still not fully recovered from what he had gone through.

Even though he was once again feeling up to playing and no longer felt the need to be constantly held by his caretaker (the first two days after his return from being the Decepticons' captive Blaster had refused to let Bumblebee sit him down even once), Blaster was still jumpy and easily upset. As long as Bumblebee was nearby and the Sparkling could see him, though, he felt safe enough to play and crawl around on his own. If he lost sight of Bumblebee, however, he became upset and would cry, still convinced that the Decepticons would take him away if his caretaker wasn't there; when that happened, he was impossible to calm completely down until Bumblebee returned (the only ones beside Bumblebee who could help when that happened were Sam, Carly, Wheelie, or Brains, but they could only calm him slightly). Blaster also still couldn't recharge in his own berth. He had tried the night before, he really had. But nightmares had brought him out of recharge screaming, and so Bumblebee had held him until he had calmed enough to recharge again, taking the Sparkling back to his berth so he would actually be able to get some much-needed rest.

It had worked, and that morning, Blaster was finally feeling well enough to play in the Sparkling area again, so after he had been fed and given the Autobot equivalent to a bath, Bumblebee had brought him into the main hangar, joining Red Alert, who was the other Autobot on Sparkling sitting duty at that moment. Bumblebee sat just inside the play area, and Blaster, despite being very happy to see the other Sparklings, refused to go more than a few feet from his caretaker, even though Bumblebee was in plain sight from anywhere in the play area. The young Autobot had a feeling that what Blaster really needed was to go home, but his own injury was still preventing him from leaving the base. Fortunately, Ratchet had told him the previous day that he should, providing the scans the medic would run later proved his leg was healed enough to allow Transformation, be able to return home tonight. The idea of going home after being stuck on base for nearly four days made Bumblebee excited. He had only been gone a short while, but he still felt homesick, and was eager to get back. He knew that the change of scenery would help Blaster, too. He'd taken the little Sparkling outside the hangar a few times for fresh air, but still, it wasn't the same.

The scout looked towards one of the entrances to the hangar. Sam and Carly weren't on the base yet-Sideswipe was on one of the two patrols that were currently out, and the silver mech had promised to swing by the house and get them. Wheelie and Brains _were_ on base, but the two of them had been "drafted" by Computron to help him fix Teletraan-I, and were off helping him do just that. That was another downside to staying on the base-he just didn't spend enough time with his family as a whole. Even though there wasn't much for him to do until Ratchet gave him the okay to Transform again (besides Sparkling-sitting duty, but that was okay), and Sam and Carly did try to stay with him as much as possible while they were at the base each day, the fact that he had to stay behind when Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains went home made him wish that his leg would heal faster. Not just because _he_ wanted a change of scenery, but because being cooped up in the base for days on end couldn't be helping Blaster feel any better.

Blaster offered Bumblebee another block, and as Bumblebee took it, he looked up to see Prowl, Mirage, and Optimus-returning from the patrols that had gone out earlier-entering the hangar. Sideswipe was not with them, so the young Autobot concluded that the silver mech was probably on his way to get Sam and Carly like he'd promised he would. Prowl and Mirage went their own ways-Prowl to take over the watch on Scattershot (who was still in no condition to speak with anyone) and Mirage to help Computron, Wheelie, and Brains in their efforts to restore Teletraan-I. Optimus started to head in the direction of the medbay, but stopped. After a thoughtful pause, he turned around, heading towards the Sparkling play area. Trailbreaker, playing with First Aid close by, clicked excitedly when he saw his caretaker approach. Optimus knelt next to the Sparkling, a faint smile showing on his faceplate as Trailbreaker happily chattered to his caretaker, telling the Prime what he had been doing while his caretaker had been gone. Once Trailbreaker was finished talking, Optimus looked to Bumblebee.

"Bumblebee, I would like to ask you something." The Prime must have seen the flicker of confusion in the younger Autobot's optics, for he wasted no time in continuing. "But first, how is your leg?"

Bumblebee shrugged. _It's a lot better than it was, sir. It's still stiff and a little sore, but I can just about not limp when I walk now. Ratchet says if the scans he's going to run later turn out okay, I'll be able to Transform again and go home tonight._

"That is good to hear."

_I'm glad I'll be able to go home soon,_ Bumblebee agreed. He paused, and then questioned, _What is it you wanted to ask me, sir?_

"Are you feeling up to doing some battle training in a short while? If Ratchet gives his approval, of course."

_I… _Bumblebee hesitated, looking back into the Sparkling play area. Blaster was still busily stacking the toy blocks together. He looked cheerful enough, but Bumblebee knew that the little Sparkling was still healing, and healing _slowly_. Keeping in the Sparkling's line of sight helped him stay calm, but at the same time, Bumblebee knew that Blaster needed to accept that nothing bad would happen just because his caretaker wasn't there. Besides, as much as he loved Blaster and wanted to care for him all the time until he was completely recovered from being traumatized, he knew it _wasn't_ practical for him to stay with the Sparkling all the time at the moment-like all of the other Autobots, Bumblebee needed to ready himself for what was to come. He couldn't do that and stay with Blaster every single minute. He didn't like the idea of putting Blaster in a situation that would no doubt upset him, but he knew it would have to happen eventually.

The look on Optimus's faceplates softened with compassion and understanding. "If you feel Blaster is not ready for you to leave him for a short while, you do not have to."

_No…it's okay, sir._ Bumblebee shook his head and looked back up at Optimus. _I don't like the idea of leaving him while he's still recovering, but this is necessary. I'm not going to be doing him any favors in the long run if I stay with him all the time._ The young Autobot looked upset. _It'll make him believe that he can't trust anyone else to look after him, because he'll think I believe that, if I never let anyone else watch him._

"If you are certain…"

_I am, sir,_ Bumblebee replied firmly, but his optics betrayed just how upset he was at what he was going to do later. _Sam and Carly will be here soon, and they can help watch Blaster. He'll feel more at ease with them around, though he'll still be pretty upset._

"Very well, Bumblebee," Optimus said, standing up as Trailbreaker returned to playing with First Aid. "After Ratchet looks over your leg, if he gives his approval, you can meet up with those of us who will be participating in this training session in the field outside."

Bumblebee nodded. _Yes, sir._

Optimus inclined his head at the scout, and then turned around, resuming his walk in the direction of the medbay.

Bumblebee watched him go. Curiosity filled the young Autobot. _Why is Optimus going to the medbay? He's not hurt. Is he going to ask Diesel to join the training session, too? No, that's not it. Diesel doesn't have his weapons anymore and he hasn't gotten any replacement ones yet. Is he going to ask Firestorm?_ His thoughts were cut off when Blaster gave an insistent click, offering him yet another one of the toy blocks. He took it, his thoughts returning to the Sparkling's wellbeing as he did so. Blaster was still jumpy and timid, yes, but he'd improved a lot over the past few days.

Bumblebee vented a sigh, watching the little Sparkling as he went back to playing with his blocks. The young Autobot scout fervently hoped that all of the progress Blaster had made on the road to recovery wouldn't be completely undone by what would happen later.

* * *

><p>"A training session? You want <em>me<em> to train with _you?_"

Optimus Prime nodded, looking evenly at Firestorm. The old Seeker was obviously surprised at the Prime's request, but Optimus had been considering asking Firestorm to partake in the battle training sessions ever since the moment he had officially brought Firestorm's treatment as a prisoner to an end; he'd already given Firestorm access to the Autobot comm frequencies and allowed him free reign of the base. The Seeker might be old, but he had a reputation as a strong warrior, and had proved that to be true in the battle against the Decepticons who had attacked the base. They needed his help in the coming battle, and not just in the form of the information he had provided.

"You are a strong fighter, Firestorm. You know more about Unicron than any of us do. You once wished to help the Autobots using you flight capabilities, and now is your chance to do so. We need your skills as a warrior. We need your help."

Firestorm looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded solemnly. "You will have my skills, then, Optimus Prime."

"You'll need an Earth Alt mode, first," Ratchet pointed out, from near his desk, where he was once again making an attempt to sort through all of the datapads containing medical reports. "Even though the humans all know of our existence now, we still don't make a habit of parading around in our normal modes if a vehicle mode will suffice."

"But I thought all training took place on the training field located inside the boundaries of this base," Firestorm replied, confused. "Why are vehicle modes needed when on base?"

"We have learned to make use of our vehicle modes in battle just as much as we do our normal modes," Optimus explained. "Some Autobots are capable of utilizing a special form of their vehicle mode that we call Stealth Force-essentially, having access to their weapons systems while in vehicle mode. It is very useful, but not all of us have that ability. So, we are learning how to utilize our vehicle modes in battle as best as we can without weapons."

"I see." Firestorm nodded. "So, I need to find myself a vehicle mode. But I do not know if there would be an appropriately sized aircraft on base for me to utilize as a vehicle mode."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Ratchet looked up from his work. "There are plenty of large aircraft located in the nearby Air Force museum. I'm sure you'll be able to find one that meets your requirements for a Trans-Scan, Firestorm."

"I will take you to the museum, Firestorm. We will bring Colonel Lennox with us. With his help, I am sure that we will have no trouble being granted access to the museum to get you what you need," Optimus said. He turned to Ratchet. "Ratchet, if you have no more need for Firestorm at the moment, we will go now."

The medic waved a hand. "Go on, get out of here. I have two patients that I need to see, anyway, and the less crowded the medbay is the better. I'll have the next series of datapads ready for you when you return, Firestorm."

Firestorm was rapidly learning that Ratchet's gruff tone and words were nothing more than show-_most_ of the time. He nodded to the medic as he followed Optimus out of the medbay.

"Who all will be taking part in this training session, besides myself?" The old Seeker questioned.

"Silverbolt, Sideswipe, Bumblebee, and myself," Optimus informed.

"Is the Youngling in any condition to be training?" Firestorm asked. "His leg is still injured, is it not?"

"Ratchet is going to look him over shortly. If he approves, Bumblebee will join us. If Ratchet does not give his approval, then Bumblebee will not take part in the training today." The Prime knew how hard it had been for the young scout to agree to taking part in the training session if he was able, and even though Optimus himself did not like the idea of how upset the temporary separation would make Blaster, like Bumblebee, he knew that it was necessary. Not ideal, but necessary.

"It has been quite some time since I have taken part in battle training of any kind," Firestorm confessed after several moments of thoughtful silence. "I may not be able to perform to the best of my abilities any longer. I am quite old, after all."

"If what you were able to do in the fight against the Decepticons a few days ago is any indication, your skills are all still there," Optimus told the old Seeker. "And you are perfectly capable of utilizing them."

"I will do my best, then," Firestorm replied. "I may not be able to perform as well as I once did, but I will do what I can."

"That is enough," Optimus accepted with a nod.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe arrived in the main hangar, Sam and Carly in tow, at the same time that Firestorm and Optimus entered from the hall that led to the medbay. After exchanging greetings with Optimus and Firestorm, the two humans headed over to join Bumblebee at the Sparkling play area. At the sight of the human members of his family, the young Autobot warbled a greeting, waving at both the two of them and Sideswipe.<p>

Sideswipe started to head in the same direction as Sam and Carly, but was stopped by Optimus Prime.

"Sideswipe, I am taking Firestorm to find an alt mode. When we return, we will have a battle training session. I would like for you to participate."

Sideswipe nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll be ready when you get back." The silver mech watched as the Autobot leader and the former Decepticon left the hangar. Once they were gone, he shook his head, turned and headed back in the direction of the Sparkling play area.

_Thanks for bringing Sam and Carly here, Sideswipe,_ Bumblebee transmitted once the silver mech had reached the play area.

"No problem, Bumblebee. I'm glad to help," Sideswipe replied, smiling at the younger Autobot as he walked past him to where Fireflight was playing with Beachcomber.

Bumblebee watched him go, and then refocused his attention on Sam, Carly, and Blaster. After the initial hellos had been given, during the time Sideswipe had been conferring with Optimus, Bumblebee had quickly summed up what had happened since his friends had gone home the previous evening, via quotes and his own voice. Both humans were just as relieved as Bumblebee was that Blaster finally felt up to playing out in the main hangar, and at the moment, Sam was trying to engage the little Sparkling in a conversation.

"You're shiny, Blaster. What happened?"

Blaster squeaked at his human uncle, offering him and Carly some of the toy blocks he was still playing with as he answered. "Got baffed."

"You got a bath?" Sam asked.

"Uh-huh." Blaster nodded matter-of-factly, returning his full attention to his toys.

Sam glanced up at Bumblebee. "It's good to see him feeling better."

Bumblebee nodded, even though he still felt uneasy about the fact that he was potentially going to leave Blaster later, which would no doubt make the Sparkling upset. He was about to tell Sam and Carly this and phrase a request for them to watch Blaster while he was off training, when his comm suddenly came to life.

_Bumblebee, get yourself to the medbay, now, and bring Blaster with you. Optimus told me he wants you to participate in the battle training this afternoon and I need to make sure that you are able to._

The young Autobot nodded out of habit, knowing full well it wasn't necessary as Ratchet couldn't see him. _Okay, Ratchet._ Noticing Sam and Carly looking at him curiously-he had no doubts they were wondering what he had been nodding about-Bumblebee shifted through radio quotes until he found what fitted what he needed to tell them. _ "Gotta go-doctor's orders."_

"Ratchet wants to see you?" Immediately the tone of Sam's voice shifted to one of concern as he thought about what an ordered visit to the medbay could mean. "Are you okay?"

"_Just-a check-up,"_ Bumblebee informed brightly, hoping to eliminate Sam's concern. Considering how to word his explanation, he decided to use his own voice. "R-Ratchet's g-going to look o-over m-my leg, and i-if it's b-better, I'll b-be able t-to g-go h-home to-tonight."

"That's great!" Sam looked excited. "Well, you'd better get going, then."

Bumblebee nodded, and stood up. Seeing his caretaker stand, Blaster immediately forgot about his toys and reached up towards Bumblebee, silently begging to be picked up and not left behind. The scout obliged him, kneeling (with some difficulty due to his still stiff leg) and picking up the little Sparkling, standing back up once he had a firm, secure hold on him. _"I'll be back-shortly,"_ He promised Sam and Carly, before turning and heading in the direction of the medbay. Even though he knew that they wouldn't mind, Bumblebee didn't really like leaving his human friends behind after they had just gotten there, but he knew delaying a visit with Ratchet was _NOT_ a good idea.

After they had entered the hall that led to the medbay, Blaster looked up at his caretaker curiously. "Where go, Bee?"

With a soft chirp, Bumblebee used his free hand to point in the direction of the medbay door. As he got closer, Blaster could see what it was his caretaker was pointing at, and the Sparkling clicked in curiosity a few times before looking back up at Bumblebee.

"See Ratch?"

Bumblebee nodded as he came to a stop outside the medbay door. After once more adjusting his hold on Blaster, he opened the door and entered the medbay. Diesel was sitting on one of the berths in the medbay, deeply absorbed in reading a datapad, but he looked up when he heard Bumblebee enter and nodded a greeting at the younger Autobot and the little Sparkling. Blaster let out a happy squeal at the sight of Diesel, recognizing the gray Autobot as the nice mech who had protected him from the bad ones. The Sparkling's happy greeting caused Diesel to smile slightly before he returned his full attention to what he was reading. Ratchet was at his desk, his back to the door, but he obviously knew who was entering, even without checking to make sure who it was, because he wasted no time in issuing instructions to the young Autobot.

"Good, you're here. Set Blaster in that Sparkling berth over there, and get yourself onto the full-size berth next to it." The medic gestured over his shoulder to two nearby berths-a Sparkling one, and a regular one.

_Okay, Ratchet,_ Bumblebee replied. He headed over to the two berths that Ratchet had indicated, and set Blaster down in the Sparkling one. Blaster began to whimper when Bumblebee withdrew, obviously thinking that his caretaker was leaving him behind, but when he saw that Bumblebee was still nearby, sitting on the berth next to his, he quieted down. However, he scooted over so that he was sitting on the side of the berth closest to Bumblebee.

"Easy there, little one, Bumblebee isn't going anywhere," Ratchet told the little Sparkling as he headed over to his two newly-arrived patients, using his soft 'talking-to-an-upset-Sparkling' voice, knowing that keeping the Sparkling reassured and calm was important. Blaster looked up at the medic briefly before turning his attention back to Bumblebee. Following the Sparkling's example, Ratchet looked at the younger Autobot. "All right, Bumblebee. How is your leg feeling today? Any better?"

_Well, it's still stiff, but it's only a little sore,_ Bumblebee admitted. _I'm not limping much anymore, though._

"That's a good sign." The medic activated his scanners. "Let me see how much it's healed. Hold still."

Bumblebee did his best to comply. It was significantly easier to remain still this time than it had been the day Ratchet had first discharged him from the medbay after he had been injured; this time, he hadn't been cooped up in the medbay for nearly an entire night. He looked to Blaster to see how the Sparkling was handling things, and was amused to see that Blaster was staring at the light from Ratchet's scanners, his optics bright with fascination. Bumblebee's attention was pulled from the Sparkling when the medic deactivated his scanners.

"Well, the welds have all held and it seems that your repair systems are almost done fixing the damage the required the welds in the first place." He nodded in satisfaction, and then looked evenly at the younger Autobot. "It's healed enough for you to be able to Transform again, Bumblebee, though your Transformation won't be nearly as smooth as it normally is for a while. However, that will change in time. You're perfectly capable of taking part in the training session, but if your leg starts hurting more than it is now or if you have any trouble Transforming besides what I have already warned you of, you are to stop _immediately_. Understand?"

Bumblebee nodded. _Yes, Ratchet, I will._

Satisfied with the scout's answer, the medic turned his attention to Blaster next. "And how are _you _doing, little one?"

Blaster looked up at the medic, his expression extremely serious as he thought over Ratchet's question as best as he was able to. "'kay," He finally squeaked.

"Any changes?" The medic questioned, shifting his gaze back to Bumblebee.

The young Autobot nodded. _He's better. He's still jumpy and easily scared, but he's feeling well enough to play and move around on his own. He still has nightmares when he recharges, but he's fine when he's awake, usually._

"Any improvements, however slight, are a good sign," Ratchet stated.

Bumblebee was quiet for a few moments before his concern over how his leaving to train would affect Blaster became more than he could stand. If anyone would know whether or not it would be okay, it would be Ratchet. _Ratchet, I'm worried about how leaving to train will affect Blaster's recovery. If he can't see me, he gets upset. Really upset. He cries and won't calm down until I'm holding him again. He's afraid I'll leave and the Decepticons will take him away again while I'm gone. I know I need to take part in the training, but…_

"Sam and Carly are here, correct?" Ratchet asked.

_Yes. They can keep Blaster somewhat calm, but he still doesn't-_

"Sam and Carly should watch him while you are training, then," The medic interrupted firmly. He caught Bumblebee's worried look and silenced him before he even formed a reply with a wave of his hand, before continuing. "Yes, it will in all likelihood make Blaster upset, but he _needs_ to learn that he will be fine even if you aren't around for a little while. When you return from the training and he sees that you are okay and that nothing happened to him while you were gone, it will help him more in the long run than if you were to stay with him instead of leaving."

_I know,_ Bumblebee replied, looking downcast. _I just don't like the idea of purposefully putting him in a situation that will make him upset, even if it will really help him._

"You don't like it, and yet you are willing to do it because you know it will help more than harm." Ratchet eyed the younger mech in approval before looking at the Sparkling in question. Blaster was still watching Bumblebee closely, but obviously wasn't paying attention to their conversation. The medic vented a sigh of relief that the little Sparkling was far too young to understand most of what they were talking about-no need to get him upset before Bumblebee actually needed to leave. "That's the mark of a good caretaker, Bumblebee."

_It's still hard._

"I know." Ratchet was silent for a moment before continuing. "Well, you'd better get going, Youngling. Optimus went to help Firestorm get an alt mode, but that shouldn't take them very long. They'll be back soon, so you need to get ready to leave for the training field when they return."

Bumblebee nodded, sliding off of his berth and reaching into the Sparkling one to pick Blaster up. The little Sparkling clicked happily as his caretaker took hold of him.

"Oh, and one more thing," Ratchet added. "Before you return home tonight-yes, you can go home; you can Transform again so you're able to-come and see me. I'll give you a supply of the Sparkling Energon formula to take with you. You said you were almost out the day of the Decepticon attack, didn't you?"

_Yes. I forgot about it, though, since I really didn't need my own supply while I was staying here, _Bumblebee admitted. _Thanks, Ratchet._

The medic waved a hand in dismissal, but wasn't able to hide the slight smile on his faceplate. "Go on, get."

Not wanting to ruin the medic's good mood by overstaying his welcome in the medbay, Bumblebee hurried out into the hall. As the door slid shut behind him, he realized that he felt significantly better about leaving Blaster in the care of Sam and Carly while he went with Optimus and the others. While the young Autobot still didn't like the idea of purposefully upsetting the little Sparkling, knowing that Ratchet believed it would do more help than harm helped to dispel some of the worry he felt about it.

However, the hard part was still to come-actually leaving the Sparkling behind.

* * *

><p>"No, Bee! No go!"<p>

Bumblebee felt terrible as he looked down at the little red Sparkling who had attached himself to his caretaker's leg, shaking his head as he protested Bumblebee's attempts to leave him behind in the Sparkling play area. He hadn't yet progressed to crying, but Bumblebee could tell by the escalating whimpers in his voice that he was very close. The knowledge that he was the reason Blaster was getting so upset stung deeply, but he also knew that he _had_ to do this.

As gently as he could, Bumblebee eased the little Sparking from his leg, earning another cry of protest as he did so.

"No!"

"Blaster…" Bumblebee began, gently sitting the Sparkling down in the play area, "Y-you n-need to s-stay here."

Blaster shook his head again, whimpering louder. He didn't like this. Why was Bumblebee leaving him behind? Didn't Bumblebee know that the bad ones would come and take him away if his caretaker wasn't there to protect him? Why was he leaving? This was scary! The little Sparkling's whimpers finally became full-fledged crying, his faceplates scrunching up as he wailed.

Bumblebee flinched when the Sparkling started crying. Out of the corner of one optic he saw Sam take a step forward to help, but the young Autobot motioned him back with one hand. As much as he appreciated the fact that Sam wanted to help him, he'd caused this and he needed to be the one to fix it. He wracked his processors for a solution and, after a minute, he found one. It seemed silly and a long shot, but it was worth a try, and if it worked it would not only stop Blaster's wailing, but possibly cheer him up a little, too. With a soft chirp, he reached over and began to tickle Blaster with one finger.

The little Sparkling couldn't cry and be tickled at the same time, and his wails quickly faded to whimpers and then became faint squeaks, before he finally let out a very small giggle. Once he was no longer crying, Bumblebee stopped tickling the Sparkling, and Blaster looked up at him, still squeaking quietly.

Bumblebee rubbed Blaster's head comfortingly. _"Stay here, sprout. It will-be all right-you'll see."_

The little Sparkling made a sniffling sound, looking like he was going to cry again for a minute. Blaster could see Sam and Carly standing off to one side, watching him. He still didn't want Bumblebee to leave, but if they stayed, it would make him feel a little better. They weren't his caretaker, but he knew they would protect him from the bad ones just like Bumblebee would. Finally, he pointed to Sam and Carly and asked in a very small, timid voice, "Stay wi'?"

Bumblebee nodded.

Blaster contemplated this for a minute, and then looked up at his caretaker, his optics still wide and scared. "Come back?"

The young Autobot nodded again. _"Yes. I'll-come back-soon. I promise."_

The little Sparkling whimpered, but finally accepted what needed to happen, though he still looked extremely upset about it. "'kay."

Bumblebee gave the Sparkling's head one final, affectionate rub, and then stood up as Sam and Carly came over to stand next to him. He looked at them, his worry for the little Sparkling showing clearly in his optics.

"Don't worry, Bee. We'll take care of him," Sam promised.

Bumblebee nodded sadly, before turning and walking to join Sideswipe, who was waiting for him next to the Autobot entrance/exit to the hangar. He hoped that Blaster would be alright-he knew that Sam and Carly would take care of the Sparkling, but would Blaster remain upset the whole time? He hoped not, but he knew it was possible. With one last worried glance over his shoulder at his family, the young Autobot shifted into his vehicle mode for the first time in nearly four days-the Transformation slightly jerky but pain-free, thank goodness-and followed Sideswipe, who had Transformed as well, out of the hangar and onto the road that led to the Autobots' training field.

* * *

><p>They met up with Silverbolt when they arrived at the training field, but, surprisingly, the tall mech was alone.<p>

"Where're Optimus and Firestorm?" Sideswipe asked as he Transformed into robot mode, Bumblebee following suit a second later. The silver mech looked around; the training field contained a targeting system for shooting practice, as well as an area for hand-to-hand practice spars, and a machine that would fling targets into the sky for the flight-capable members of their team to either catch, avoid, or shoot. Besides the usual appearance of the field, however, it was empty save for the two of them and Silverbolt. The silver mech didn't bother to hide the suspicion in his voice. "I thought they were going to meet us here."

"Optimus went to retrieve his trailer," Silverbolt explained. "And as for Firestorm…" The flight-capable Autobot looked up to the sky, optics searching among the clouds, until he located what he was looking for and pointed to it. "Firestorm is up there; he said he needs to both become accustomed to his new alt mode and get a feel for how flight is on this planet before he decides a proper battle strategy for aerial combat."

"What does it matter how you fly on Earth?" Sideswipe questioned, frowning as he looked up in the sky to where Silverbolt was pointing. He could see a faint, moving silhouette against a cloud, which he assumed was the old Seeker. "The battle against Unicron is going to take place on the edge of the solar system, not on this planet."

_It might help in a future battle against the Decepticons,_ Bumblebee pointed out.

"True," Sideswipe admitted grudgingly.

"There are concepts of flight that can be applied anywhere," Silverbolt informed the two other mechs. "You two wouldn't know that, not being flying mechs-no offense-but Firestorm does. By learning how we fly on Earth, he will be able to see what changes we need to make when we fight against Unicron."

Further conversation between the three Autobots was cut off by the approaching rumble of an engine as Optimus Prime drove up in his truck mode to join them. The Autobot leader had just finished the transition into his robot mode when Firestorm landed next the group, having shifted out of his new alt mode while still a fair distance up in the sky.

"Do you find the alt mode you chose to be satisfactory, Firestorm?" Optimus asked.

The old Seeker nodded. "Yes. The B-52D Stratofortress that I scanned might be an older model, but it suits me. I like it and think it will be useful."

Optimus nodded, and then turned his attention to Silverbolt, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe. "Bumblebee, Sideswipe, you two will be working with the targets first, while Silverbolt, Firestorm, and myself will be working in the air. Once you are finished and so are we, than we will practice in the sparring field, understand? Firestorm will provide us with any suggestions he may have as to how we can improve our fighting techniques so that we will be able to face Unicron when the time comes."

The three Autobots nodded, but Firestorm looked confused. "Wait a minute, Optimus Prime. You will be in the air with Silverbolt and myself? Forgive me for asking, but how can you fly when your alternate mode is a human ground-based vehicle?"

Optimus was quiet for a moment before he answered Firestorm's question. "Firestorm, do you remember, how I told you that your friend, Jetfire, sacrificed himself to help us save this planet three years ago?"

Firestorm's expression faltered at the mention of his friend, but he nodded. "Yes."

"Before he died, he offered up his parts as a method I could use to become stronger. My trailer," The Prime gestured over his shoulder to the object in question, "Contains a…well, what the humans call a 'jet-pack'. It enables me to fly when I wear it. It has proved very useful, and I am very thankful to Jetfire for his sacrifice. In giving up his parts, he actually not only helped us to save this planet three years ago, but one year ago as well."

"I see." Firestorm shuttered his optics briefly, and then looked evenly at Optimus. "It is good that you are doing what he requested and that doing so enables you to be a stronger warrior." The Seeker was silent for a minute, and then spoke up again. "If you do not mind me asking, will you show me your flying skills? Before we separate into groups for individual training?"

"Of course not." Optimus headed over to the trailer, sending the command signal that caused it to unfold and open up, revealing the weapons, shield, and flight pack that the Prime often used in battle.

"Impressive," Firestorm commented, looking over the assortment of weapons and other battlefield equipment the transformed trailer contained. "Did all of these come from Jetfire, or is it just the flight tech that did?"

"Just the flight tech," Optimus informed Firestorm as he attached said tech to himself. "The rest-the weapons and shield-are my own. Now…" He turned back to face the others. "I suggest everyone stand back." He waited until Firestorm, Silverbolt, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe were clear, and then activated the flight tech, shooting into the sky.

Bumblebee had seen the Prime make use of his flight tech only a couple of times-in Egypt and in Chicago-and it was still amazing to see an Autobot fly. Well, sure, there were other flight-capable Autobots-Silverbolt and Computron, for instance, and Fireflight would be one when he was older-but Optimus was not a flight-capable Autobot on his own. Now, with the help of the flight tech Jetfire had given him, he _could_ fly. Optimus Prime was the only Autobot without the ability to take a flying alt mode that could fly in robot mode-actually, to be more accurate, he was the only one who could fly at all.

The young Autobot glanced over at Firestorm. He was curious as to why Firestorm had wanted to see the Prime's flight skills before beginning training; sure enough, the Seeker was watching Optimus's flight carefully. However, while he looked a little impressed, he was also frowning. It wasn't an angry frown, but a thoughtful one. Confused, the scout looked up at Optimus and then back to Firestorm. Was there something wrong with the way Optimus was flying? Bumblebee couldn't see anything wrong, but then again, he was not a flight-capable Autobot and never had been. Firestorm was obviously seeing something that none of the Autobots present could.

Whatever it was about the way that Optimus was flying that was bothering Firestorm eventually got the best of the old Seeker, and he called up to the Prime.

"Optimus Prime! I need to speak with you!"

Optimus, high up as he was, heard the old Seeker's call and came back down, landing in front of him. "Yes, Firestorm, what is it?"

Firestorm hesitated. After all, Optimus was a Prime and the leader of the Autobots. But he needed to know what it was Firestorm had seen in his flying. "Please do not take this the wrong way, sir, but…your flying needs work."

Optimus looked mildly intrigued at Firestorm's words. He had never thought about having any problems with the way he flew, but had not come online as a flying Cybertronian. Firestorm had been and was able to understand it in a way he never could. "Go on."

"From what I can see, you are still thinking like a ground-based Autobot," Firestorm continued, taking confidence in the fact that Optimus had invited him to keep explaining rather than telling him he was out of line. "Flying is different. You are doing very well when you take in consideration that you are relatively new to flying, but there is still room for improvement. There are air currents and varying conditions to take into account. There is no visible flat surface in the sky for you to travel across. When you fly, you need to feel the air and make it work for you. There is much to learn if you want to become an expert fighter in the air. And if you are able to fly to the best of your ability, it will greatly help in the battle against Unicron."

Optimus thought over what Firestorm had told him. The old Seeker's words were not offensive; he was truly trying to help improve the Autobot leader's flying skill. And what he said was true-Optimus wasn't a flying expert. He'd only had the ability for three years. He would be foolish to ignore Firestorm's words. "Show me."

Firestorm blinked. "Are you certain? It will not be easy for you."

"Yes." Optimus nodded. "Anything that will give us an advantage-however slight-against Unicron, is something we must try to achieve. We will integrate this into our training."

"Very well." Firestorm pointed a wing at Silverbolt. "You can participate, too. You are a born flier, yes, but you can still help us."

"I'm sure you might know some things about flying that I don't," Silverbolt replied. "After all, I'm not a Seeker. Everyone knows that Seekers have different strengths that regular flying Cybertronians."

"All right, then," Optimus agreed. "We will begin the training now. Sideswipe, Bumblebee, attend to your training assignments. Silverbolt, Firestorm, to the sky."

It didn't take them long to get at a high enough altitude to perform the exercises Firestorm wanted to teach them. Once they were there, Firestorm turned effortlessly in the air to face Silverbolt and Optimus.

"Remember-feel the air. As I said, there is no road up here. But if you can feel the air, you will find that the air currents do form a pathway. You cannot see this pathway like you can a road, but you can learn to feel it. And if you can feel it, you can use it! Now, follow me, and try to do what I do."

* * *

><p>Sideswipe and Bumblebee had watched the other three members of the training unit take to the air. They watched them climb higher into the sky for a minute before turning their attention to the targeting system.<p>

Bumblebee looked back up at the sky as Sideswipe stepped closer to the targeting system. _I think it would be cool to fly._

"Yeah, maybe," Sideswipe said with a shrug as he turned the targeting system on and began to input the parameters for their training exercise. "But I don't get what the big deal is about it. I prefer my wheels."

_And you're the one who has the Sparkling who's going to fly one day,_ Bumblebee replied jokingly. _Try explaining to him how awesome driving around is over flying once he's old enough to fly_.

Sideswipe grimaced, but it wasn't a serious one, and he smiled soon after. "Yeah, we're going to argue when that happens. He already wants to fly and he's not even out of the Sparkling stage yet." The silver mech paused, looking thoughtful and worried. "I just hope we'll be able to ensure that he-and all of the others-_will_ grow out of the Sparkling stage."

Bumblebee blinked in surprise. It was the first time he'd seen and heard Sideswipe voice his concern over the upcoming battle. The older mech voicing his fears made Bumblebee remember his, and he shuddered at the thought of what _could _happen if the Autobots failed. The young Autobot looked down at the ground. _Yeah, me too._

Both Autobots were silent for a moment. Suddenly, Sideswipe gave Bumblebee a playful nudge with an elbow. He regretted dampening the mood by voicing his worries and was eager to make up for it.

"Come on, kid, let's cheer up and get to work. Only one way to ensure the safety of this planet, our Sparklings, and our families, and that's to be in top condition. Let's train." He pressed the control to start up the machine's training program, and looked at Bumblebee challengingly.

"Bet I can hit more targets than you."

The young Autobot perked up at the older mech's challenge. _I'd like to see you try!_

"Let's find out, then," Sideswipe said, turning to face the active targets. Bumblebee followed suit.

The targeting system let out a chime as the program started, and the training began.


	14. Expendable

**A/N****_:_**_ Nearly a full month since the last update to this story; that seems about right. I knew there would be one, but I still apologize. I hope you all enjoyed the Adventures with Autobots chapters that I uploaded during the short break from this story!_

_It was pointed out to me that some of the characters are not as fully developed as they could be, and I agree. So, starting with this chapter, I'm going to give the less-focused on characters sometime in the spotlight-it's the first time I'm doing it, so I apologize if it seems a little shaky at first. The "spotlight-shifting" in this chapter is setting important events up for future chapters, but I'm not telling exactly what those events are. _

_This story is still primarily focused on Optimus and Bumblebee, but the other characters will all contribute, so don't worry! Well, one I'm still not going to do much with is Carly, but that's just because I don't know what to do with her as of yet._

_I see Silverbolt, due to his size and resulting strength, as one of the few Autobots that can actually go toe-to-toe with Optimus in a fight and actually stand a chance of beating him, or at the very least knocking him down. Of course, Silverbolt isn't the most secure of the 'bots (though Red Alert has him beat in the insecurity department) so he doesn't feel comfortable utilizing his full strength, even when simply training and being ordered to so the most is made of each training battle._

_And Optimus is their leader and the Autobots respect and care about him. Of course they'd all be uncomfortable with the idea of fighting him…even if the fight is just a simple training exercise and not the real thing._

_In my own personal head canon, Optimus was the one who mentored Bumblebee when the scout was old enough to start his Autobot training._

_This chapter is a bit slower-paced than the others, and it's yet another short one, but it starts a chain of events that will unfold over the next three chapters, so I think you can forgive me for that, right. Right?_

**_UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better._**

**Dialogue Guide:**

_"Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

**"Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Thirteen-Expendable**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 8,532**

* * *

><p>DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE WAS A BORN FLIER, Silverbolt had never really been all too fond of heights. He'd always experienced a great sense of dread whenever he had to fly, which increased the higher he had to go. He supposed this came from the fact that he had been a weak flier back when he was a Youngling, and, even though he'd improved a great deal as he got older, he'd experienced a few falls and mistakes that made him reluctant to leave the ground. But with most of Cybertron's fliers on the side of the Decepticons, the Autobots had been in desperate need of aerial support in the war, and Silverbolt had joined, eager to help in spite of his fear. Optimus Prime had even made him commander of the few flight-capable Cybertronians that the Autobots had among their ranks-the Aerialbots-despite his protests and lack of confidence that he would be a good leader. In order to serve out his rank to the best of his ability and so that he could be of help to the others, Silverbolt had learned to shove aside his fear and dislike of heights as best as he could whenever he found himself up in the air.<p>

That ability-to temporary ignore his fears-was really coming in handy now.

Firestorm's earlier suggestion of visualizing the air currents as an invisible road had been a great help to Silverbolt, especially in light of his dislike of heights. Firestorm had advised both Autobots from where he had been flying alongside them. After showing the two Autobots how to "really fly", as he put it, Firestorm had asked Silverbolt to demonstrate his normal flying abilities, and had offered suggestions as the silver mech obliged. The old Seeker had then decided to put both of his temporary students to the test. As the Prime was relatively new to flying, Firestorm had decided to test Optimus first, going against the Prime in an aerial spar, and although the mock battle had initially gone in Firestorm's favor, as the training went on and Optimus learned exactly how to put Firestorm's advice to use and adapted his flying and attack methods as a result, the Prime had improved to the point where Firestorm had been impressed enough that, after he had also tested Silverbolt's midflight sparring skills, he had suggested Optimus put his new aerial abilities to the test in a race against Silverbolt, as speed would be an important factor in the battles that were surely to come. The larger Autobot, having more experience with flying, had won, of course, but it had still been a very close race and Silverbolt had only managed to beat out the Prime by a few seconds.

The silver mech had initially been very embarrassed at the fact that he had beaten Optimus, but the Prime had praised him for his speed and skill in the air and assured him that it was alright-after all, the entire point of training they were doing was so that they could learn how to better use their skills. At this point, it didn't matter _who_ won in their mock battles as long as they were learning from their mistakes and doing their best. And Silverbolt _was_ learning. Firestorm, as old as the old Seeker was, knew methods of flying and fighting that he had never known _existed_. In fact, he was so impressed by the techniques and eager to learn them that he barely noticed how high up they were and could nearly completely ignore his dislike of heights even more than he was normally able to.

There had been a few more tests in the air-more speed trails, maneuvering exercises, and mock battles, until Firestorm had been satisfied enough with the results of the tests he had given Optimus and Silverbolt to suggest that they return to the ground for the second phase of the training. Optimus had agreed, and the three of them had landed. It had been perfect timing, too, as Sideswipe and Bumblebee had just shot the last of the targets they had been practicing with, and they were also more than ready to begin the hand-to-hand combat portion of the training session. Sideswipe and Bumblebee had sparred a few times, the winner varying each time, but both 'bots were able to get a decent number of victories in. Firestorm and Optimus had gone next, but their match had, surprisingly enough, ended in a draw. The Prime had then motioned to Silverbolt to come and face him on the sparring field.

Which had lead to the current scenario that Silverbolt now found himself facing.

"You cannot blame him for that, Optimus," Firestorm said, a faint smile on his faceplate. "You told him to hit you."

The Prime ruefully rubbed his helm from where he was currently in a half-sitting, half-laying down position that was not at all Prime-like.

Silverbolt reached out a hand to help his leader regain his footing, nervously stammering apologies. "Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to actually…"

"No, that is quite all right, Silverbolt," Optimus insisted as he allowed Silverbolt to help him back on to his feet. "I did, as Firestorm pointed out, instruct you to hit me if you could. And you were able to. This is a training exercise, after all; the point is to try and defeat your sparring partner. Well done."

The Aerialbot shrugged and looked away, still embarrassed at the fact that he had actually managed to hit his leader hard enough to knock him down. He knew Optimus was right-this was what training was about, getting strong enough to fight your enemies, and as a result he knew that he couldn't hold back in training just because he was practicing against Optimus. He looked back at the Prime and nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I…I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nothing more than a processor ache, Silverbolt. I will be fine." Optimus paused before continuing, and Silverbolt guessed that the Prime was calculating how much time they had spent training so far that afternoon. "One more round of sparring for each of us, I think. And then we will return to base."

Silverbolt retreated to stand with Sideswipe and Bumblebee off to one side of the training field as Firestorm and Optimus prepared to go against each other again. Sideswipe nodded at him.

"That was a nice punch, Silverbolt."

"I didn't really intend to hit him," Silverbolt muttered, still feeling embarrassed about the whole thing. "Even if it is just training, and that was the point, he's still our leader. It just doesn't feel _right_ to fight him."

"Silverbolt, we're going to be fighting Cyclonus _and_ Unicron. We can't afford to hold back in our training if we want to be ready for them." Sideswipe vented, shaking his head as he returned to watching Firestorm and Optimus as the old Seeker blocked a blow from one of the Prime's Energon swords. The silver mech spoke up again after a few moments of silence, turned back to address Silverbolt. "I don't like the idea of going against Prime either, but it _is_ only training. It's not like we're actually fighting him with the intent to put him out of commission." His optics hardened with hostile suspicion as he returned to watching Firestorm and Optimus as they continued to spar with each other.

_When Optimus started training me, _Bumblebee began, referring to how Optimus had mentored him in his Autobot training when he was young-well, young_er_. _I didn't like the idea of it either. But he told me that fighting him was necessary battle practice. I still didn't like it, but it didn't bother me as much after that. I mean, if Optimus is okay with it, we should be too, right?_

"I guess you're right," The Aerialbot replied uneasily. Silverbolt still wasn't exactly comfortable with the knowledge that he had knocked Optimus Prime to the ground, but the words of Sideswipe and Bumblebee, combined with the praise Optimus had given him at the end of their sparring match, served to reignite the flying Autobot's confidence somewhat.

* * *

><p>Something was wrong with Blaster. Trailbreaker was <em>sure<em> of that. He just wasn't sure exactly what it was, though. But it had to be something bad. Why else would he not be interested in playing with him and the others? He was just sitting next to Sam and Carly, huddled as close to the two humans as possible, hugging his stuffed penguin tightly and staring at the door that served as the hangar's exit for the Autobots.

Maybe it was because Bumblebee was gone. Blaster had been upset before his caretaker had left, but he had calmed down slightly when Bumblebee had reassured him. Trailbreaker, who had been startled by Blaster's crying when the older Autobots were leaving, had been watching to see what was wrong and had seen his friend calm down before Bumblebee left. But the red and blue-armored Sparkling had also noticed that, as soon as Sideswipe and Bumblebee had left, Blaster had started crying again and hadn't stopped until Sam had held him for a while, and after that, the red Sparkling had been sitting in the same spot, doing nothing but staring at the door.

Trailbreaker was too young to understand just why Blaster had gotten so upset when Bumblebee left (even if he _had_ known why he wouldn't have been able to understand the circumstances that lead to it). _His_ caretaker left all the time, and even though he wasn't old enough to understand the meaning of Optimus's role as Prime and leader (all he really understood was that Optimus looked out for everyone, not just him), he accepted the fact that sometimes his caretaker needed to leave him in the care of others. But that was okay, because Optimus always came back.

Maybe _that_ was it-Blaster didn't know that Bumblebee would come back. No wonder he was so sad.

But Blaster would feel better if he went over to play with him, Trailbreaker decided. He knew he would. Whenever _he'd_ been upset, playing with his friends made him feel a lot better. And he knew from watching Optimus that spending time with others when they felt bad was something nice to do. Besides, Fireflight, Beachcomber and First Aid were all playing together, which meant that Blaster was the only one who didn't have someone to play with, and that wasn't any good. Letting out a string of determined clicks, Trailbreaker grabbed his stuffed bear and as many of the nearby toy blocks as he could carry and made his way over to where Blaster was sitting.

"Need help, Trailbreaker?" Sam asked, standing up and walking towards the oldest Sparkling. The sight of the red and blue Sparkling unsteadily making his way towards them, arms full of toys, both amused him and caught his interest.

Trailbreaker shook his head in protest. "Do it myself!"

"What're all these toys for?" Sam asked, walking alongside the Sparkling, respecting Trailbreaker's insistence that he could carry the toys himself, though he still kept an eye out in case he needed to catch any falling toys. Or a falling _Sparkling_, because even though Trailbreaker had the most mastery over walking among the Sparklings (Trailbreaker preferred to walk and hardly ever crawled anymore, whereas Fireflight, First Aid, and Beachcomber spent equal amounts of time walking and crawling, and Blaster _couldn't_ walk yet) he still didn't have a very good balance when doing so, and still fell down now and then.

"Blaster sad. Toys f'him," Trailbreaker said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Which, to him, it was.

"That's nice, Trailbreaker. Did you hear that, Blaster? Trailbreaker brought you some toys to play with."

Blaster looked over the toys Trailbreaker was offering to him. While he normally _would_ want to play with his friends, at the moment the fear and anxiety he felt from being separated from his caretaker was too strong-the bad ones could come back at any minute and try to take him away again. Right now all the little red Sparkling wanted was for Bumblebee to come back and pick him up and hold him. _Sam_ had held him earlier, which was nice and made him feel a little better, but it wasn't the same as when Bumblebee held him. Sam might be nice and everything, but the human didn't have a warm Spark that the little Sparkling could snuggle up against and that made him feel safe. "No want toys," Blaster whimpered, hugging his penguin plush tighter. "Want _Bee_."

"I know, little guy," Sam told Blaster sympathetically. "He'll be back soon. He promised, remember? Bee keeps his promises."

Blaster's only response to that was another faint whimper.

Trailbreaker frowned in concern and sat down next to the much smaller, younger Sparkling. He _had_ to make his friend feel better. Being sad was no good at all. "Bee come back. Wait 'n see. Opt leave too, but _always_ come back." Even though he accepted the fact that Blaster didn't want any of the toys he had brought over, he still offered the younger Sparkling one of the toy blocks, just in case he would decide later that he wanted a toy after all, and this time Blaster took it. Blaster might not want to play, but that didn't mean Trailbreaker was going to leave him alone. The red and blue Sparkling had every intention of staying and keeping his younger friend company so that he wouldn't be so sad.

Blaster watched as Trailbreaker began lining up the toys he had brought over. While he still didn't feel like playing, he felt a _little_ better. Bumblebee had told him the same thing before he had left-that he'd come back. Blaster wanted his caretaker to come back right now and wouldn't feel completely safe until he had, but Sam and Carly had stayed with him, and now Trailbreaker was there, too, so at least he wasn't alone.

"You know," Carly spoke up then, watching as Trailbreaker continued to line up the toys while Blaster watched him, "Even though he's obviously still upset, I think Blaster's doing pretty well considering how anxious he was when Bumblebee left."

"You're right. At least with Trailbreaker around he's distracted enough to not be as upset as he was," Sam replied, nodding in relief. He knew that there was little he and Carly could do to calm Blaster all the way down if he got upset again; all they could really do was get him to stop crying. They weren't able to cheer him up completely. Like Bumblebee, Sam didn't like seeing the little Sparkling so upset and quiet when he was normally a cheerful little ball of energy. He knew that Carly felt the same way, and wished that he could come up with something that would help Blaster feel better.

Unfortunately, all he was coming up with at the moment was a great big zero, and he sighed in defeat, looking back at Carly. "I just hope Bee will get back before Blaster goes back to thinking that he's not coming back and starts crying again."

* * *

><p>Fortunately, they didn't have to wait much longer. Twenty minutes after Trailbreaker had come over to share his toys with Blaster, the sound of approaching engines from outside the hangar signaled the return of the training group. The engine noises grew louder as they approached the hangar, then cut off. Only a few moments later Optimus Prime, followed by Firestorm, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee, entered the hangar. Each of them bore the obvious dents and scratches that the Autobots always got as a result of their training sessions, but none of them seemed to mind. In fact, the collective mood of the returning Cybertronians seemed to be relatively cheerful, which signified that the session had gone well.<p>

"Hey, Optimus!" Will Lennox called from where he was heading out with a group of soldiers to take part in the human soldiers' training session for that afternoon. "How did your training session go?"

"That training session went well, thank you, Colonel. We will still be having the combined training session this evening, yes?"

"Of course," Will agreed, before motioning to the soldiers to follow him as he exited the hangar.

"Well done, all of you," Optimus said once the humans had left, turning to face the others with him. "And thank you, Firestorm, for helping us with the aerial combat training."

Firestorm dipped his head respectfully. "You are welcome, Optimus Prime. I am glad I was able to be helpful beyond warning you of Unicron."

"Will you participate in this evening's training session with the human soldiers?"

Firestorm hesitated. He hadn't really worked around the humans very much, even in the few days since the Autobots had given him their trust-well, most of them, Red Alert and Mirage were still somewhat suspicious of him and Sideswipe remained both suspicious _and_ hostile-and free reign of the base. To tell the truth, even though he admired the humans' courage and the remarkable strength that they had for such a small, primitive species, he worried that he might accidently harm one of them. He was, after all, much larger than any of the humans. But Optimus Prime and the other Autobots worked with the humans every day, and nothing bad had come of their interactions with their friends. If they could work alongside the humans without incident, then so could he. The old Seeker nodded resolutely. "If you wish for me to join in, Optimus Prime, then I will. But in the meantime, I believe I had better return to the medbay to retrieve the datapads Ratchet has prepared for me to read."

"Very well," Optimus agreed. "We all have business of our own to attend to at the moment, especially those of us who have Sparklings to look after. It is time for us to take them to our quarters for their afternoon recharge naps, after all." The Prime inclined his head respectfully at Firestorm and watched as the old Seeker returned the gesture and then headed in the direction of the medbay. The Prime made a mental note to get the former Decepticon personal quarters of his own sometime soon, so that he wouldn't have to stay in the medbay all the time, before turning and joining Sideswipe and Bumblebee as they went over to the Sparkling play area. He noticed that Trailbreaker was sitting next to Blaster, and even though he heard the Sparkling let out a series of excited clicks at seeing him, he made no move to leave his younger friend, causing Optimus to consider his Sparkling charge with amused thoughtfulness.

Bumblebee came to a stop nearby, and he warbled a cheerful greeting to Sam and Carly, before looking worriedly down at Blaster. The little Sparkling had been watching Bumblebee closely ever since he had heard the training group arrive in the hangar, waiting anxiously for him to come over to the Sparkling play area, and now that the scout was standing in front of him, Blaster held his arms out in a silent plea for his caretaker to pick him up, his purple optics begging for the comfort he had wanted ever since the scout had left him earlier. Bumblebee responded instantly, scooping him up and holding him securely.

Blaster let out a tiny huff from his vents, burying his face against his caretaker's shoulder armor. His anxiety and fear faded away, and the Sparkling finally felt safe. Bumblebee had kept his promise and had come back, and the bad ones hadn't come. Bumblebee and Trailbreaker and Sam and Carly had all been right. Everything was okay. Maybe he didn't have to be scared anymore. Why should he be scared when his family was all here to protect him?

Anyway, he was tired and wanted to take his nap. Now that Bumblebee was here he felt safe enough to do so. Blaster turned his head to one side, still resting against his caretaker's armor but no longer hiding his face, satisfied that he was safe and content now that he was back with Bumblebee.

Bumblebee chirped comfortingly at the Sparkling, receiving a few tired, contented-sounding clicks in return. He felt a hint of surprise and spark-felt relief at how relatively calm Blaster was. Not that he'd had any doubts Sam and Carly would be able to look after him and keep him from getting too upset-far from it-but still, it was a relief to see that Blaster wasn't upset to the point where he wouldn't have calmed down as quickly as he had. Adjusting his hold on the Sparkling slightly, Bumblebee shifted his attention to Sam and Carly, an unspoken question showing in his optics.

"He cried for a little bit after you left," Sam reported. "But he calmed down a little after I held him for a while. He's pretty much been quiet the whole time, and he didn't feel like playing with any of the others." He smiled slightly, shifting his gaze up to Optimus. "Trailbreaker's been keeping him company. He didn't like the fact that Blaster was sad, so he grabbed his toys and came over here. He helped Blaster feel a little better."

Optimus knelt down so that he was closer to Trailbreaker's level. The Sparkling was still sitting where he had been when the Prime had entered the hangar with the others, and had been watching Blaster as he reunited with Bumblebee so that he could be sure that his friend was finally happy, but his caretaker's movement caused him to shift focus onto Optimus instead.

"Is that right, Trailbreaker? You helped Sam and Carly keep Blaster company?"

Trailbreaker nodded, the look on his faceplates extremely serious, which was amusing to see on a Sparkling. "Uh-huh. Blaster sad. No good, Opt."

Optimus smiled slightly. "Yes, you are right, little one. It is never any good when a friend is sad. It was very nice of you to keep him company so that he would feel better. I am proud of you, Trailbreaker."

The red and blue Sparkling clicked happily at his caretaker's praise, causing Optimus to smile again.

"Are you ready to take your recharge nap, Trailbreaker?" The Prime questioned.

Trailbreaker blinked, and then looked up at Blaster. His younger friend looked happy again, which was good. He wasn't sad anymore, and besides, he was probably going to take a nap too. He looked pretty tired. The Sparkling looked back at his caretaker and nodded, grabbing his stuffed bear and unsteadily getting to his feet. "'kay."

Optimus lifted Trailbreaker out of the Sparkling play area and sat him down gently on the other side, taking hold of the Sparkling's hand that wasn't wrapped around the stuffed bear. He returned his attention to the group of humans and Autobots that were watching over the Sparklings. The others were getting ready to take the Sparklings to the quarters for their naps-Sideswipe had taken hold of a happily squealing Fireflight, who had climbed on top of a stack of the large soft blocks and had been trying to jump off in what seemed to be an attempt to fly, whereas Red Alert (the red mech was actually a surprisingly good Sparkling-Sitter despite his tendency to have panic attacks) had taken charge of both First Aid and Beachcomber, carrying a Sparkling in each arm as he stood to take them back to the medbay, which Ratchet was no doubt getting ready for them, making sure that everything was put away so that the Sparklings couldn't get into something that they shouldn't. Blaster was still being held by Bumblebee, although now he was partially on his way into recharge and was absently sucking on his left hand.

"There will be a combined training session with the human soldiers this evening," Optimus informed those Autobots still present in the hangar. "Red Alert, you have already agreed to take part. If either of you," Optimus continued, nodding Sideswipe and Bumblebee, "would like to participate, return here once your Sparklings have woken from their recharge."

"Yes, sir, I think I'll do it. I'll have to get Sunny to agree to watch this little terror here, though," Sideswipe replied, shifting his hold on Fireflight, who had finally quieted down now that his caretaker was properly holding him and had given his stuffed owl-which he had left on top of the blocks-back to him.

_If Blaster's still feeling all right when he wakes up, I'll come too,_ Bumblebee agreed. _I think he'll be okay, though. Especially now that he knows I'll come back when I say I will._

Optimus nodded. "Very well. I will see you both then. Sam, Carly, thank you for helping to watch the Sparklings."

"No problem, Optimus," Sam replied.

"We're happy to help," Carly agreed.

Optimus nodded at them again, then turned, leading the now droopy-opticed Trailbreaker back to the quarters they shared, still holding the Sparkling's hand as he refused to be picked up and insisted on walking. "Come, Trailbreaker. We need to get you to your berth before you fall into recharge on your feet."

Red Alert had already exited the play area was on his way to give First Aid and Beachcomber back to Ratchet, trying to maintain a secure hold on both Sparklings. Sideswipe walked up to Bumblebee and his family, shaking his head.

"Did you see him try to jump, Bumblebee? It looks like he's gone from simply _wanting_ to fly to _trying_ to fly." The silver mech vented wearily as Fireflight let out another happy squeal at the word "fly". "It looks like I'm going to have to keep a closer optic on him from now on so that he doesn't hurt himself. See you all later."

Once they were the only ones still near the play area, Sam looked up at Bumblebee.

"Hey, Bee, how did the training go? Your leg still okay?"

Bumblebee shifted his hold on Blaster so that he held the little Sparkling in one hand, using his now free hand to give Sam and Carly a confident thumbs up. True, his leg was still a little sore and he still had the tiniest bit of a limp, but it wasn't hurting him enough to bother or hinder him anymore, really.

"So that means you're still going to come home with us tonight?" Carly asked.

Bumblebee nodded enthusiastically, gently readjusting his hold on Blaster when the Sparkling-who was almost completely in recharge-let out a very soft whine at the movement.

"That's great, Bee!" Sam said eagerly, although he made sure to keep his voice down so that he wouldn't disturb Blaster, too. "It's not been the same without you-and Blaster-there."

Bumblebee chirped in quiet happiness at Sam's words. He'd missed being home with his human family, too, and he had a feeling that Blaster felt the same way, but was unable to really express it due to his young age. The young Autobot glanced at the Sparkling in question and, seeing that he was only moments away from complete recharge, decided the time had come to return to his and Blaster's temporary quarters.

_"Got to get-him-to bed,"_ He informed Sam and Carly, piecing together clips from his radio as quietly as he could. _"You can-come with me-if you'd like."_

At the silent nods of agreement that the human members of his family gave him, the young Autobot scout turned and led the way to his temporary quarters, taking care to be quiet and not jostle Blaster as he walked. The little Sparkling was finally calm and relaxed, and Bumblebee didn't want to disrupt that by waking Blaster up from recharge on accident.

* * *

><p>In the old days, back when the War was in its height on Cybertron, Prowl had never been one for giving a Decepticon a second chance-once a 'Con, <em>always<em> a 'Con, and that was his firm belief in the matter. When he had arrived on Earth, however, he had found that two former Decepticons-Wheelie and Brains-had been accepted into the Autobot ranks, and had learned of another, the old Seeker Jetfire, who had sacrificed himself to help the Autobots in their fight against the other Decepticons. The Security Officer had found himself needing to readjust the way he saw things, and had initially been very reluctant to do so. However, time spent around Wheelie and Brains, along with Optimus and the others telling him Jetfire's story, had made him realize how wrong he was.

Decepticons _could_ change.

Maybe not _all_ of them, but the potential was still there. It was the same belief that Optimus had always held-that _everyone_, no matter their affiliation, had the capacity for good and should be given the chance to redeem themselves-and Prowl, who had once disagreed completely with that philosophy, now found himself accepting it. Firestorm's recent arrival and actions since he had awoken out of stasis had backed up his new belief.

And now he found himself facing another individual who had the chance at starting a new life with the Autobots.

Scattershot, however, still had yet to speak with anyone after what had happened at the abandoned factory. Optimus had encouraged those who stood guard over the Decepticon's room to talk to him and make sure that he was doing well. Scattershot never responded verbally, but it was obvious to Prowl and the others that he was paying attention to everything the Autobots told him, even though he still seemed too upset to reply. Whether he actually cared or not was anyone's guess, but Optimus seemed confident that Scattershot would come around, although he didn't say _why_ he was so confident. Prowl had spent the better part of an idle drive through the city trying to figure out Optimus's reasoning, but had eventually decided not to worry about it and to trust the Prime's judgment in the matter by simply waiting for the former Decepticon to speak.

Prowl glanced at the door to the room Scattershot was in, then glanced down the hall. Red Alert would be coming to take over the guard duties soon-as soon as he delivered Beachcomber and First Aid back to Ratchet, of course. The Security Officer shook his head in amusement. How could the sight of a regular human vehicle send Red Alert into a panic (_"It could be a Decepticon that's shielding its signal somehow, Prowl! Or it could be rigged up to spy on us, or it could be…"_) but looking after two Sparklings not cause him to freak out at all? Sometimes, he believed he would _never_ figure his friend out.

The amusement faded quickly, however, as Prowl turned his thoughts to the more pressing issue. Scattershot was the only one who possibly knew what had been stolen from Teletraan-I. _Possibly_, that was, because based on what the Autobots had seen and heard at the abandoned factory, added with what Scattershot had already told Optimus, the orange-armored mech had not been an important member of the Decepticons and therefore could very likely not know what the higher-ranked ones were planning. While Optimus stressed that he did not want Scattershot to feel pressured into giving out information, at the same time it was known that they _needed _to know what Scattershot did, if he knew anything at all. However, the Prime had ordered that they only let Scattershot tell _what_ he wanted to, _when_ he wanted to.

The problem was, Scattershot still hadn't said a word in almost four days. And until he got over his shock enough to finally speak to them again, there was little they could do except wait.

That, and hope that Computron and the others helping him could fix Teletraan-I soon.

* * *

><p>In an act of kindness, upon their return to the Autobot base nearly four days ago, Prowl and the other Autobot that usually guarded Scattershot-Red Alert, yeah, that was what he called himself-had escorted him, not to the room he had been kept in before the rescue mission, but to one of the spare quarters set aside for future Autobot arrivals. It was located away from the occupied rooms, yes, but the fact that it had been given to him was a gesture of kindness and sympathy towards what had happened to him that the orange-armored Decepticon had never experienced before, at least, never experienced from the Decepticons. His new room also contained what he had told Optimus Prime he wished the previous one had had-a window, so that he could see outside. The fact that he had been given a room with a window and that there were no guards outside said window (even with his weapons disabled he was still more than capable of breaking out a window to escape) was a sign of trust that Scattershot felt more than a little amazed at.<p>

If he was completely honest with himself, Scattershot realized, he actually preferred being a prisoner of the Autobots than being a soldier in the Decepticon forces. He'd never been treated well by the other Decepticons there, aside from the very few he could truly call his friends. In the days since the Autobots had taken him captive, he'd been treated far better. True, he wasn't really allowed his freedom, but here he had nice quarters of his own, was given Energon rations greater than any he had received before in the Deception army (he had a feeling that this was actually the amount of Energon all Cybertronians needed to remain healthy, but as he couldn't remember ever getting much his entire life he couldn't be sure of that), and the other Autobots, while not exactly friendly towards him, had treated him fairly and would talk to him frequently. Even Optimus Prime himself had come to talk with him once or twice since the return of the rescue party. The words the Autobots had all spoken to him, especially those of Optimus Prime, had made him think, something he had not been encouraged to do among the Decepticons.

The Autobots thought he was being quiet because he was still upset over being cast out of the Decepticon army. While that was partially true-he was still confused and upset over losing the only family he could properly remember-the real reason he had been silent for the past few days was because he was thinking, weighing his options and struggling to find answers to his questions on his own.

He'd been taught that the Autobots were his enemies, but his experiences of the past few days had led him to start to believe otherwise. If the Autobots had been going to kill him, surely they would have done so by now. And while a small nagging doubt about how genuine the Autobots were in their actions was still there, for the most part, he had accepted that they were nothing like what the Decepticon officers had taught him. Scattershot still didn't trust the Autobots completely-no, not yet-but he knew that they wouldn't harm him, at least. That conclusion brought another thought to mind, another dilemma. He had been cast out from the Decepticons-kicked out, told to get lost, under pain of death if he ever returned. He had no home, no friends, no family to turn to anymore. He was alone.

But Optimus's earlier offer, his suggestion that Scattershot join the Autobots…could that still be in play?

Could he _really_ have a place among the Autobots?

Scattershot walked over the small window in his quarters, looking at the world outside. Among the Decepticons, he had been one of the lowest-ranked soldiers, about as low as one could get without being a salvage or scrap drone. Even Soundwave's _cassettes_ had been higher ranked than he was. He was basically useless in a fight; even if he _hadn't _disliked the idea of harming the innocent the fact that he was hopeless with his weapons made him a terrible soldier. He had always been sent on the least important missions, the most insignificant raids. He was, as Salvo and Bullseye had put it, expendable. Unnecessary, not needed. Something that could easily be done without.

And while the part of him that was not still plagued with doubts about the Autobots embraced the idea of joining them, he couldn't help but wonder if that was a good idea. Wouldn't he be just as useless to their cause as he was to the Decepticons'? Just as expendable?

Even as he thought that, images he had seen since returning the Autobot base surfaced. Wheelie and Brains, two former Decepticon drones, were treated the same as the Autobots who guarded him were. And as for the Sparklings…if anything would fit the description of weak and useless and expendable that the Decepticons held, it was Sparklings; he knew _that_ all too well as he had seen how poorly the Hatchlings had been treated when the Decepticons had been based in Africa, and even before then, when Megatron had first ordered their creation. But here, they were loved by all of the Autobots and the utmost care was taken in every aspect concerning their upbringing; what little of it he had been allowed to see, anyway. They'd stormed a Decepticon base just to rescue _one_ Sparkling; the Decepticons would _never_ do something like that. And the humans-who had all been deemed worthless by the Decepticons, even those few they had actually bothered to work with-were seen and treated as equals by the Autobots. Did that mean that the Autobots held a different view on what expendable was than the Deceptions did? Did the Autobots even believe in anything being expendable at all?

One thing was for sure. Scattershot now knew that he wasn't going to find the answers he needed on his own. All he had gotten from trying to figure things out all on his own was a sharp processor ache. He needed to talk to someone.

He turned away from the window and walked towards the door. Venting slowly to gather his nerve, he reached hesitantly up and tapped the door the gain the attention of the Autobot standing guard outside-Prowl, he was fairly certain.

The time had come to, at least partially, break his silence.

* * *

><p>Upon hearing the tapping on the other side of the door, Prowl had resolutely turned and opened it. He was greeted by the sight of an extremely nervous-looking Scattershot. The orange-armored Decepticon lowered the hand he had been tapping on the door with immediately and took a step back.<p>

"What is it?" Prowl asked sharply, belatedly remembering Prime's orders to treat Scattershot kindly. He mentally berated himself when he saw Scattershot flinch and shrink back slightly. "What do you want?" He hurriedly continued, this time in a kinder tone.

Scattershot blinked nervously, then straightened and took a step forward again. "Um…Prowl, right?" At the Security Officer's nod, the orange mech continued, looking slightly more at ease at Prowl's silent encouragement. "If…if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak with Optimus Prime. I…I need to ask him something."

"Can't you just ask me?" Prowl questioned. Scattershot shook his head, an action that caught Prowl's interest.

"No…sir. I think it's…I think I need him to answer."

Before Prowl could form an answer to that statement, Red Alert came rushing into view. The red mech skidded to a halt upon seeing the door to Scattershot's quarters open with the Decepticon standing in the doorway.

"Prowl, watch out!" He cried excitedly, dashing forward again. "The prisoner is trying to escape! I'll help you get him back in the-"

"Red Alert, it's fine," Prowl said firmly, stopping his friend's headlong rush with an arm, just in time to prevent the other mech from crashing into both him and Scattershot. "He's _not_ escaping. He just wanted to talk to me. I need you to go and get Prime. Scattershot wants to speak with him."

"Please, I promise it's not a trick or anything," Scattershot said in a small voice. "I have some questions I really need the answers to, and Optimus Prime is the only one who can give them."

Red Alert looked from Prowl to Scattershot in confusion. "But…I'm supposed to be taking over the guard."

Prowl pointed in the direction of Optimus's quarters. "And you can do that after you go and get Optimus. Go on."

Red Alert cast one more suspicious glance in Scattershot's direction, then turned around and headed in the direction Prowl had indicated, still muttering agitatedly about "escaping prisoners" and "the lack of true security around here".

Prowl turned his attention back to Scattershot, and he saw that the orange mech looked nervous again and was staring in the direction Red Alert had gone. Prowl couldn't be sure, but he thought he could see a trace of hurt alongside the nervousness in the Decepticon's optics, and realized that Red Alert's assumptions had done nothing to help what Scattershot was no doubt still feeling about what had happened to him.

"Don't worry about Red Alert. He's always like that," Prowl informed Scattershot, the faintest trace of a smile on his faceplate. "He's not happy unless there's something he can overreact to and panic about. You'll get used to it soon enough."

* * *

><p>Even though Trailbreaker had been tired and ready for his recharge nap when Optimus had retrieved him from the Sparkling play area, it had taken a while before the Sparkling was willing to be put into his berth for said nap. Trailbreaker had insisted on sharing <em>everything<em> that had happened that day with his caretaker, and only when he had finished had he allowed Optimus to put him in his berth. Once there, however, the Sparkling had fallen into recharge in minutes.

Sitting at his desk now that Trailbreaker was finally resting, Optimus found himself thinking over his Sparkling charge's behavior in the main hangar that afternoon-his worry for Blaster, his determination to help him feel better, and his refusing to leave his friend's side until he was positive the younger, smaller Sparkling was being taken care of.

Now that he thought about it, Optimus realized that Trailbreaker, despite being too rowdy by accident now and then, always seemed to be trying to take care of the other Sparklings, making sure that they were always together, all had toys to play with, and always tried to cheer them up when they felt sad. The other Sparklings listened to him in his efforts, as well.

_He is developing leadership skills,_ the Prime realized. _They are simple because he is so young, but that is what they are, and the other Sparklings see him as a leader because of this, despite their own young ages. I wonder if…_

The Prime's thoughts were cut off by a rapid, urgent knocking on the door to his quarters. Quickly, not wanting the visitor's knocking to awaken Trailbreaker when the Sparkling had _finally_ fallen into recharge, Optimus stood and made his way to the door, opening it.

"Red Alert, what is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, sir, but it's important," Red Alert replied, talking rapidly as he always did when he was agitated about something. "Prowl sent me; he's guarding the prisoner, and he says that-"

Optimus cut off Red Alert's rapid speech by holding up a hand. "Slow down, Red Alert, and please, speak more quietly. Trailbreaker has just fallen into recharge and I do not wish for him be woken up."

"Sorry, sir," Red Alert apologized sheepishly. He shook his head before continuing in a more even and quieter tone. "Prowl sent me to get you. He's guarding the prisoner-that Decepticon that turns into that beat-up orange car-Scattershot. Anyway, Scattershot was talking to Prowl when I arrived to take over the guard shift, and apparently he told Prowl that he wants to speak with you, so Prowl sent me to tell you about it." He hesitated before adding, "Scattershot seemed really anxious, like it was really important."

"I see." Optimus nodded. "Thank you, Red Alert. I will go and see what it is Scattershot wants now." The Prime paused for a moment before continuing. "I know you are next on the schedule to guard Scattershot, but would you watch Trailbreaker for me while I speak with our guest? You can pick up your shift once Scattershot was said what he needs to."

"Yes, sir, I will." Red Alert still seemed agitated as he agreed to the Prime's request, and quickly revealed the source of his continued agitation by speaking up again. "Do you really think we can trust _anything_ Scattershot says? He _is_ a Decepticon, after all."

"He is not a Decepticon anymore, Red Alert," Optimus Prime declared firmly. "You saw for yourself what happened at the abandoned human factory. He may not be an Autobot, but he is no longer a Decepticon. He has already helped us when we needed it. I believe we can trust him."

"If you say so, sir," Red Alert replied unhappily.

Optimus exited his quarters and looked back to Red Alert as the other mech went inside to assume his temporary duty as Trailbreaker's Sparkling-Sitter. "While I respect your opinion in this matter, Red Alert, I would like to give Scattershot a chance with us, and I believe that what he has finally decided to share may be a determining factor in whether or not trust in him would be misplaced in the long run."

Optimus could see that his words had put the paranoid mech at ease…well, sort of, anyway. Red Alert nodded at him and there was a significantly less amount of agitation in his voice as he promised to look after Trailbreaker while the Prime was talking to Scattershot. As the door to his quarters slid shut behind him, Optimus walked in the direction of the room Scattershot was currently being held in.

_Now then,_ the Prime thought. _It is time to find out just what it is the Scattershot is so anxious to ask me about._

* * *

><p>Scattershot still wanted to get the answers to his questions, but even though Optimus Prime had been kind to him his entire time as the Autobots' captive, he was still intimidated by the sight of the Autobot leader. Sure, Optimus hadn't been cruel to him like he had expected-had been <em>taught<em>-to believe, but that still didn't change the fact that he had seen the Prime in battle before and knew exactly how fierce Optimus could be when he needed to be.

Optimus could sense the Decepticon's renewed unease and spoke kindly in the hopes of eliminating whatever was making him feel that way. "I was told that you have some questions for me, Scattershot. What do you wish to know?"

Scattershot was silent for a long moment. Finally, he was able to draw up his courage and look the Prime straight in the optics. "The other day…you said…you said I didn't need to be a Decepticon. You said that there're Autobots who used to be Decepticons. Does that mean…does that mean, if I wanted to, you'd let me join you? I'm not saying yes," He added quickly, "I just want to know…you'd really let me join, if I wanted to?"

Optimus smiled slightly at the orange mech. "If you were to truly want to join us, yes, we would allow you into our ranks. It might take a while for everyone to accept you, but you _would_ become an Autobot, and would, eventually, gain the trust of the rest of us…and our human allies, as well."

Scattershot nodded thoughtfully. He still wasn't sure if he really wanted to join the Autobots yet, but the idea of gaining a potential new family…even one that could not be more different than the one he'd recently lost…was comfort that he welcomed. He hesitated a moment before plunging ahead with his other question.

"Optimus…sir, what do the Autobots consider to be expendable?"

The Prime's optics widened, then narrowed slightly. "Expendable, Scattershot?"

"Well, you see, among the Decepticons, I was pretty much worthless. I can't fight very well at all-not that I like doing fighting anyway-and if you can't fight well you don't really matter in the scheme of things. I wasn't an important member of the Decepticon army and that's why Salvo could afford to…to kick me out. He wasn't losing anything important."

Sudden understanding lit Optimus's optics. "Scattershot, is that the true reason why you are so reluctant to join the Autobots? Because you feel that you were useless to the Decepticons and so will be useless to us as well?"

Scattershot automatically opened his mouth to protest, but shut it when he realized the Prime's words were an echo of what he had wondered earlier himself. He still had doubts about the Autobots due to his upbringing as a Decepticon, in light of how he now knew the Autobots really were, those doubts were not strong enough to be the true reason he didn't want to join the side of the Autobots. Optimus had seen the truth-Scattershot _was_ afraid that he would be just as useless to them as he had been to the Decepticons. He looked down in embarrassed silence.

Optimus took the younger mech's silence as confirmation to his suspicions. The Prime stepped forward, placing a hand on Scattershot's shoulder, causing the mech to look back up at him in surprise.

"Scattershot," Optimus began, his voice kind. "_No one_ is worthless. Just because you are not good at one thing does not mean that you do not have a natural talent that lies elsewhere."

"But I'm nearly completely hopeless in a fight. How can I-"

"You do not have to be a soldier." The Prime's voice took on a firmer note, though it was still kind. "Not everyone is meant to fight. That is why we have medics like Ratchet, and espionage experts like Computron."

"But I've seen them fight," Scattershot protested.

"Yes, but it is not their main strength. They will fight if pressed, but they do not enjoy it and it is not what they truly are meant to do."

Scattershot was quiet for a moment before speaking up again. "But what am _I_ good at? What can I _do_?"

"That is something you need to find out for yourself," Optimus replied, though not unkindly.

The orange armored mech folded his arms and looked thoughtful, but his expression was still mostly troubled and confused. Finally, he looked up at Optimus again. "Thank…thank you for answering my questions. I…I need some more time to think, though. I…I'm sorry."

Optimus nodded respectfully. "I understand, Scattershot. If and when you are ready to speak with me, or any of the others again, you need only to let us know. And there is no rush in deciding what you truly want to do. Take your time." The Prime turned to leave, but before he exited the room, he turned partway around to address the younger Decepticon one more time.

"Remember this, Scattershot. Among the Autobots, _no one _is expendable."

With that, he turned back around and exited the room, leaving Scattershot alone once more with his thoughts.


	15. Decepticons on the Move

**A/N**_**:**__ The only reason I'm able to churn this chapter out so quickly is because it's one of the shorter ones, but it still brings to light important things. _

_Yes, it's time we got back to the Decepticons, don't you think? _

_This chapter is meant to provide some light into the Decepticon way of life, especially what I think the relationship between Soundwave and his Cassettes was like. I strongly believe that despite their reputation as model Decepticons, they were a close-knit family, so there. It's also meant, like the last chapter, to bring important plot points into play that will unfold over the next few chapters and throughout the rest of the story._

_At the moment, I have no clue where the Autobots would stash the remains of Megatron. All I know is that it must be somewhere secure, someplace the Decepticons would have never thought to look until they stole the information about it themselves. If anyone has an idea for where said location could be, let me know, please?_

_Again, I apologize for the shortness but we do have a longer chapter coming up next, so it's hopefully not too bad having two shortish chapters in a row._

_But anyway, I'll be quiet now and get on with the story. _

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Fourteen-Decepticons on the Move**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 4,485**

* * *

><p>SALVO AND HOWLBACK HAD DRIVEN THE REMAINING MEMBERS of their ill-fated squad hard, forcing them to travel day and night, with little rest. Every single Decepticon present was ordered to remain in vehicle mode unless told otherwise-no sense in making it any easier for the Autobots to track them if they planned on doing so. That was the reason for the speed; they needed to return to the mountain base with the information Howlback carried before the Autobots were able to catch up with them. Fortunately, they had been successful in evacuating the abandoned factory and fleeing the immediate area before the Autobots returned, as Howlback had predicted they would, thanks to Salvo's dark threat that the Decepticons would return.<p>

As it was now, at the current speed they had been traveling, they were probably only a little over a day's worth of travel time away from the base in the mountains. Salvo had managed to find a sheltered area, almost a cave, where it would be safe to return to robot mode for a short while, and had ordered the Decepticons to take a brief rest. They had only been too eager to do so; many of them were close to collapse from traveling so fast and hard, and on such pitiful Energon rations. Even the normally argumentative Bullseye was too exhausted to try and pick a fight with Salvo, preferring to lounge about instead, glad for the rest. The brief respite was giving the Second-in-Command time to think.

Salvo was absolutely furious with the way things had turned out. He knew that he was at fault for some of it; he'd greatly underestimated the resourcefulness of the Autobot prisoner, had doubted that an unarmored Autobot would have the strength to remove a rusted-solid drainage grate. He'd also made the mistaking of ignoring the tracking abilities of the Autobots, dismissing them due to the fact that the Decepticons had signal dampeners in place to shield themselves from scanners. But that shouldn't have mattered anyway. The rescue party sent by the Autobots had been small, and the Decepticons had, during that confrontation, outnumbered them. Salvo cursed the incompetence of the soldiers that accompanied him on this excursion. While, in truth, he actually knew that there had been a slim chance of victory against the likes of Silverbolt and Optimus Prime, they should have been able to hold them off long enough to snatch their prisoners back and escape. They should have been able to overwhelm the Autobots easily. But no, the other Decepticons had taken one look at the combined strength of all the Autobots and had fled like cowards. The only ones who had been worth anything in that battle were Howlback, Skyjack, and, he grudgingly admitted, Bullseye.

Then there had been the whole matter of Scattershot betraying them. Scattershot had always been a worthless mech, but he hadn't seemed the type to turn traitor. Salvo narrowed his optics angrily. It wasn't the first time the Autobots had been able to get one of the lower-ranked among the Decepticons to become a traitor. They seemed to have a gift for it. _Those Pit-slagged Autobots,_ he thought, seething with rage. _As if kidnapping and corrupting the Hatchlings wasn't enough, they have to place their weak ideals on other Decepticon soldiers._ Well, if he came across Scattershot again, he would see to it that the younger Decepticon met the painful end that all traitors deserved.

Slag it, he was _not_ looking forward to the meeting with Cyclonus when they returned to the mountains. They had the information they had needed, yes, thanks to Howlback, but they'd lost the Autobot they had taken captive, the one they needed as a sacrifice to convince Unicron to help them. Securing a captive had been an important part of the first stage of the plan. Hopefully the news that there were some Hatchlings that had survived-and that the only reason the captive had been able to get away was because they had been betrayed by one of their own-would be enough to lessen the anger Cyclonus would no doubt feel upon learning of the partial failure of the mission.

* * *

><p>As she was one of the few Decepticons not exhausted from their hard journey, Howlback was spending the rest time partially observing Salvo's actions. She had never seen the black-armored mech in such a foul mood before. Salvo usually kept his emotions in-check; it took a lot to actually get him to lose his composure. But he was certainly close to it now. He'd been angrily brooding ever since he had given the order to return to the camp in the mountains.<p>

Howlback would never admit it to anyone-she even had trouble acknowledging it herself-but she cared for Salvo. She was positive that he did not return her feelings and that was why she did not make them known to him or really give them much thought herself-such feelings were not encouraged among the Decepticons, and as a result, they were kept hidden by most of the soldiers amongst the faction, and Howlback had more experience with hiding such things than others. Soundwave and his cassettes-her father and brothers, and herself-had been the closest thing to a proper family unit that had existed among the Decepticons. Soundwave had never shown much affection towards her and her siblings when Megatron was around-doing so would have been suicide-but through the bonds they had with each other she could feel the affection and love he felt towards them. Love had become a pretty much foreign concept to the other Decepticons-most of those who _had_ felt it once had long since lost the ability to feel it after the many battles they had served in, and the killing they had done for the Decepticon cause. Others had needed to have such feelings beaten out of them by higher-ranked Decepticon soldiers, such as Shockwave. But Howlback had still had the ability to feel love, thanks to the bonds she had once had as a cassette, even though those she had loved had been taken from her by the Autobots.

Among the bonds that existed-Sparkmate, Creator, Sibling, Cassette-the Cassette bond was an odd one. It could be easily described as something of a cross between the Creator and Sibling bonds, but the difference was that none of those involved were actually, truly related, and, even though they retained their free will and individual personalities, the Cassettes more or less became extensions of the "parent" Cybertronian. The Cassette bond was very rare and was most often used by Cybertronians who were, for some reason or other, not capable of having their own Sparklings. However, the reason Cassette bonds were so rare was because initiating such a bond stripped those Cybertronians who became Cassettes from the ability to have Sparklings of their own. It was seen as a harsh method of creating a family when simple adoption would have sufficed, even though adopted Sparklings could not have bonds with their adoptive creators. As a result, it was only used if the soon-to-be-Cassettes would not have had that the ability to have families of their own in the first place.

She didn't know the whole story-she just knew that Soundwave had once had a Sparkmate, but she had been killed in one of the early battles of the war. They had never had any Sparklings, but they had wanted to. But that was it. Soundwave hadn't liked to speak about it. But what Howlback did know was that he had saved her and her siblings by forming the Cassette bond with them. Without it, they would most likely have been killed by the other Decepticons, due to their young age at the time of their recruitment, and because of how the young Decepticon recruits were trained-brutally. They were too big to serve as drones and too small to serve as regular soldiers, as well, which meant that they were useless, as far as Megatron had been concerned. Soundwave had stepped in and trained them to help in his espionage efforts, which had given them a place in the Decepticon army. But more importantly, they now had a family. They had become the Sparklings, the Younglings, that Soundwave had never been able to have. His exact reasons for choosing _them_ were unknown, but Howlback and the others had been grateful regardless of what those reasons were. Soundwave had _saved_ them.

All of this had been kept secret from Megatron and the other Decepticons, of course. If Megatron had found out that Soundwave had wanted them spared because he wanted a family, Megatron would have killed them for sure. And, at the very least, Soundwave would have been brutally "disciplined". Megatron viewed family as an unnecessary distraction, and had made it clear what awaited any Decepticon foolish enough to try and start one. Quite early on, he had found that one of the femmes among the Decepticon ranks had been hiding her Sparkling for nearly an entire stellar cycle. When he discovered this, he had killed the Sparkling personally, and then the femme for good measure.

After that brutal display, Soundwave and his Cassettes had been more careful than ever about their family status. And, thank Primus, Megatron had never discovered it.

But now, it didn't matter anymore.

Howlback could remember the exact moment when she had felt each of her Siblings go offline. There had been a searing pain in her Spark each time-except for Ratbat; his bond with her had simply disappeared, but as she could no longer sense him she assumed that he, too, had gone offline. But the worst was when Soundwave had been murdered. She had heard his voice in her processor one last time-a savaged, roared, _**"NO!",**_ which she knew was directed at the Autobot he was facing-that slagging Youngling Bumblebee. Then had come a pain in her Spark so great that she had been sure that she was going to die. She had gone into stasis for a moment, and when she came out of it, she had frantically searched her Spark, but there was nothing but a dark void when her father's presence had once been. Angrily, she had vowed to kill the Autobot who had not only killed her father, but two of her siblings as well. Thanks to him, she was truly alone. Her father and all of her siblings were dead. She was the only one left.

…Or so she had thought.

Howlback shuttered her optic and rested her head on her forelegs, turning her attention inward was she though over the events following the attack on the Autobot base.

At first, she had thought that she was imagining things. But once, when she had gotten a good look at him and had felt that slight tugging on her Spark-the sign that her Spark recognized his, even if his didn't recognize hers-she had known. It was no mistake. There was no way to mistake that feeling.

The little Sparkling Skyjack had taken from the Autobots, the one who had been taken back by Prime and his lackeys, the one they called Blaster…he was her little brother.

To be technical, half-brother, really. The strongest, most talented, and smartest of the Decepticons-Cassettes excluded, of course, as their Sparks had been made useless for this due to their bond-had all been required to take part in Megatron's efforts to breed new soldiers for the Decepticon army. Shockwave had found a way to produce Hatchlings without having actual creators, using just a scan of a Decepticon's Spark and a bit of the energy of said Spark. In this method, there was no Spark merging between a mech and femme at all, just a taking of Spark Energy and transferring it into an empty Energon sack, where the energy would form a new Spark and gradually grow into a Hatchling-the closest equivalent to the procedure that Howlback had found was the human method of cloning, but that was still not the same thing, as the resulting Hatchlings far from being exact copies of their "parents". And while, with each Hatchling, the potential to form a bond with its single "parent" was there-in this case the Hatchling and its Creator had to reach for each other with their Sparks at the same time for the Creator bond to form-Megatron had forbidden it, threatening death to any who tried to do so.

This time, Soundwave had listened and obeyed, knowing that he would never have been able to hide a Creator bond the way he was hiding his family relationship with his Cassettes, but that still didn't change the fact that he was technically this little Sparkling's creator. And Howlback, due to her bond with Soundwave, could feel the Sparkling in her Spark, as well, but he could not feel her in his. Howlback didn't quite know why that was-she assumed that it was because she was just a Cassette and he was not-but she had accepted it when Soundwave had declined the bond with him and, therefore, she had done so as well, even though she couldn't form a proper bond with him anyway.

That didn't change the fact that he was her little brother, though.

She hadn't told any of the other Decepticons this. That was the true reason she had refused to take care of him back in Ohio; even though what she had said about being useless Sparkling-Sitting due to her status as a Cassette was true in the long run, in reality she didn't want to risk letting slip what her true relation to Soundwave had been. She'd had younger siblings among her fellow Cassettes-Ratbat, Laserbeak-and by that token knew how to care for younger Cybertronians…but she couldn't show that. No, compassion and care counted as weakness among the Decepticons. If she showed that, she might as well offline herself. Not to say she didn't find herself actually caring for Blaster. She did, and it enraged her that he was being raised and corrupted by Autobots. She just needed to keep her true feelings hidden. It would be better that way. Soundwave had told her and her siblings as much. She hadn't survived for so long as a lowly Cassette by showing her feelings, outside of anger.

_Besides,_ she tried to assure herself, _Bullseye was right. At the moment, we don't have the Energon to take care of any Sparklings. Let the Autobots care for them for now. That way they'll be strong enough to become true Decepticon warriors when we are finally ready to take them back to their rightful place among our ranks._

But when the time came, she would gladly take Blaster away from the Autobots. Who knew what weak ideals they were corrupting him with? As the only surviving member of their family it was her responsibility to see that Blaster would be raised as a proper Decepticon, not as a weak Autobot.

The sound of Salvo's footsteps approaching caught her attention, and she unshuttered her optic and got to her feet.

"Move them out," the black-armored mech growled.

Howlback nodded and went about shoving the resting Decepticons none-too-gently with her claws to get them to their feet. "Get up! We're leaving. Vehicle modes, _NOW_!"

There was a fair bit of grumbling and complaining from the others, but they all quickly assumed their alternate modes in preparation of the last part of their journey back to the mountains. None of them had any desire to be left behind and possibly captured by the Autobots-even though there had been nothing to show that they had been tracked at all, let alone this far south.

"I hope Cyclonus is in a good mood when we arrive," Salvo muttered darkly to Howlback, before turning and barking out a command to the rest of the Decepticons. "Anyone who lags behind gets left behind, and if there are any Autobots following us and they catch you, tough luck. You'll be on your own, because we're not stopping again until we reach the base. Let's move!"

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><p>It had been almost four Earth days since Salvo had contacted Cyclonus to report that the mission had been an apparent success. While Cyclonus had not given them the order to return, just a few days ago Salvo had contacted him to let him know that, due to "unforeseen circumstances", they had been forced to flee their temporary base in Ohio and were on their way back, but he had not elaborated on just what those circumstances were. The squad was expected to return at any moment. Cyclonus had ordered that Salvo and Howlback were to be escorted to him immediately upon their return, so that they could report on their success…and, although he had not said it aloud, be punished for disobeying his order to stay put until <em>he<em> told them otherwise.

It was easy to see that the Decepticon leader was furious. True, he did not yell or fly into a rage when he was upset, but the cold calmness he affected when he was angry was even more frightening than that, and all of the Decepticons were staying well clear of the cave that hosted the makeshift command center that Cyclonus ran, just in case their leader decided to take his anger out on them. In the meantime, though, Cyclonus put aside his anger for a moment. Oh, he wasn't getting over it-Salvo would be punished severely if he didn't have a slagging good excuse for disobeying orders-but right now he needed to prepare for the information that Howlback would be carrying with her.

While the squad of Decepticons led by Salvo had been gone, Cyclonus had been making minor adjustments to the next phase of the plan. The next phase preparations would not be truly complete until Howlback presented him with the information they needed, and even then, everything would have to be carefully planned so that they would be able to get Megatron's remains away with little to no trouble. They also had to plan a defensive strategy if the Autobots managed to repair Teletraan-I and discover what they were planning before they were able to complete their tasks. If Howlback had done her work well, however, they wouldn't have to worry about such inconveniences.

Scourge, as always, was on duty, outside the cave that housed all of the networking systems the Decepticons still had. He, like everyone else, had been given instructions to watch for the return of Salvo and the others, and to let both the Second-in-Command and Howlback into the cave as soon as they arrived back in the camp. Therefore, Cyclonus was not surprised when, just as the sun had begun to set on the fifth day since the squad had last reported in, he heard the deep voice of Scourge announce the arrival of the two Decepticons the leader was expecting.

"Cyclonus, Salvo and Howlback are here," the large mech grunted from outside the cave, and, seconds later, he heard said Decepticons arrive into the part of the caverns he occupied. He didn't turn to face them right away, letting them stand in uneasy silence behind him for a long moment. Finally, he spoke without facing them.

"You were told to stay put until _I_ gave you the order to return." His voice was deathly calm. After a few more moments of silence, he turned to face them, pinning both his Second-in-Command and the smaller espionage expert with a glare, his red optics smoldering with anger. Neither Deception drew back from his anger, holding their ground, a fact that impressed him, despite his anger. "You, Salvo. You have always been a loyal, obedient soldier. That is why I let you stay on as Second-in-Command when I became leader. So why, now, have you decided to disobey my orders?"

The black-armored mech stepped forward. "We conducted the raid as planned. We were successful-the main bulk of our forces kept the Autobots busy while Howlback and Skyjack snuck inside. Howlback retrieved what we needed and we fled. We also successfully captured the Autobot who arrived that same night. But…things took a turn for the worse the next day." Salvo met Cyclonus's angry glare evenly. "We were betrayed, Cyclonus. One of the expendable soldiers we brought along with us-Scattershot-was captured by the Autobots during the battle at their base. He told them where we were hiding. He led them right to us."

"I see." The anger faded from Cyclonus's optics, a thoughtful look replacing them. "Scattershot was always useless. Weak-processored and weak in battle. It makes sense that the Autobots would be able to get _him_ to talk."

"Thanks to him we lost the Autobot captive," Howlback growled. "Optimus Prime himself led the attack against us. We did not hold the element of surprise that time and were overtaken easily, despite the fact that our squat outnumbered the ones that came after us. We had no choice but to leave. Staying would risk the information that I carry being retrieved by the Autobots. We decided that keeping the information for ourselves was the more important matter at the time."

"So we at least still have the information, even though we now have no Autobot captive," Cyclonus mused. "No matter. While it would have been best to have one, I believe there is still a way to make the part of the plan we needed him for work. At least you did your work well, Howlback." He turned his attention back to Salvo. "As you were betrayed and had no choice, I forgive you for your disobedience this once, Salvo. But bear in mind, if it happens _again_…" He left the sentence unfinished. He could tell by the expression on Salvo's faceplate that the black-armored Decepticon understood the unspoken threat.

"Understood, Cyclonus. It won't happen again."

Cyclonus nodded curtly. "Howlback," he said next, his voice sharp. "Have you looked over the information you retrieved?"

Howlback shook her head firmly. "No. I just saw enough to know it was the right file. I compressed it and downloaded it. I haven't touched it since."

"And you are _positive_ that it contains the information on where the Autobots are hiding the remains of Lord Megatron?"

"Yes," Howlback assured, nodding confidently. "It was the most heavily encrypted file on the Autobot network; that made it easy to spot. They don't want a repeat of what happened three years ago when we discovered that the humans were keeping Megatron's remains at the bottom of the ocean."

"Excellent work. Upload the information you retrieved into the computer."

As Howlback moved to do as ordered, Cyclonus motioned Salvo closer to him.

"I can tell that you have more to say, Salvo. What else happened?"

"We were unable to kill Scattershot in retaliation," Salvo muttered darkly. "The Autobots have placed him under their protection, and who knows what else he may decide to share or has _already_ shared with them. As long as he is with the Autobots, we can't touch him."

"For the time being," Cyclonus replied, back to his usual confident self now that the reason for Salvo's disobedience had been revealed. Oh, he was still angry, but he knew how foolish it would be to kill Salvo when the Decepticons were at such a disadvantage at the moment, especially seeing as how the mech was a strong fighter and commanded a lot of respect among the other Decepticons. And now, at least, he knew that Salvo was still loyal and had only disobeyed because he had no choice-so killing him would be a mistake anyway. Better to save the punishment for Scattershot once they were able to get hold of him again, as he was the one who deserved it. "Once the plan is complete, nothing can save him or the other Autobots. Anything else?"

"Yes," Salvo continued. "The Hatchlings."

"What about them? You said they were all dead," Cyclonus dismissed with a wave of one hand.

"No. Some survived and are now Sparklings. The Autobots kidnapped them and are currently brainwashing them with their pitiful ideals of compassion and equality. We managed to get one from the Autobot base, but they took him back when the traitor Scattershot led them to our hideout. So, unfortunately, the Autobots have them and are corrupting them still."

"Hmm." Cyclonus looked thoughtful again. "That is something we must remedy. Unfortunately, we do not possess the means of caring for Sparklings at the moment, or the means of force-upgrading even just one of them. Oh, yes, we _will_ take them back and train them to be true Decepticons eventually. But, for now, we will let the Autobots raise them for us. That way we can be sure that, Autobot corruption aside, the Sparklings will be healthy when we claim them as our own once again."

"I dislike the idea of leaving them there with the Autobots for _any_ length of time. If we wait too long, we may be unable to reverse whatever weak ideals the Autobots have corrupted them with and they will be totally useless as soldiers when they grow up," Salvo grunted. "They need to be natural killers, but the Autobots wouldn't dream of teaching Sparklings such things. Weak fools. But you're right. Better to let them be cared for by someone who actually has the ability to keep them healthy until we are able to handle things ourselves."

Howlback came trotting back up to them, interrupting their conversation. "The file upload is complete, Cyclonus. I went ahead and broke the encryption, so it is ready for you to go over."

The Decepticon leader tried to hide his eagerness as he made his way over to the computer console that Howlback had just vacated. The time had finally come to initiate the true beginning of the plan of the Decepticon rise to power. This would be the most crucial mission, the most vital part. Any misstep, any mistake, and everything would crumble. He was aware of Salvo and Howlback waiting to see what it was that the file contained, but he dismissed their presence from his processor. He needed to concentrate.

Information streamed by on the screen, not one bit of it escaping Cyclonus's attentive optics. As he read, the expression on his faceplate changed from focused to surprised, and then, finally, to triumph. So _that_ was where the Autobots were hiding the remains of the Decepticon leader. Clever, very clever. Never in a thousand of this planet's years would he have even considered this location as where the Decepticons needed to go. He turned around to meet the expectant optics of Salvo and Howlback.

With a triumphant smirk, he issued his next command to them.

"We can now initiate Phase Two-I know where Lord Megatron lies. Gather the troops and tell them to ready themselves to raid and battle. We are moving north into the States!"


	16. Discovery

**A/N**_**:**__ Bit more of a delay in getting this out than I would've liked, but it's been one thing after another these past few weeks and I've only recently gotten back into the swing of things._

_More Prime references in this chapter, and we finally begin to head towards a confrontation between Cyclonus's Decepticons and the Autobots._

_Oh, and in case you were wondering, no, Bumblebee does NOT know about Blaster and Soundwave's relation(in fact, none of the Autobots know who the creators of their Sparkling charges are), and, even if he did, it wouldn't affect the way he treats and feels towards the Sparkling. He sees Blaster for who he is, not who he's related to. Likewise, Howlback does not know that Bumblebee is the one taking care of Blaster. You can bet it won't go over well if/when she does find out._

_We haven't heard from Diesel in a while, so I think it's high time we got him out of the medbay. I'm a little iffy on whether or not Cybertron would have water-but I'm sure they'd have something similar, like Energon pools or maybe oil, especially since there are Cybertronians who can change into boats and other such marine things._

_The Italian words Mirage uses towards the end of the chapter are, like with when Diesel spoke Chinese, looked up online, so I apologize in advance if any are use incorrectly._

_And before you ask, no, I haven't forgot about the Wreckers, or Will, or Epps, or any of the other humans! They'll get their time to shine, just not for a while. _

_One more thing. The Sparklings from oldest to youngest are Trailbreaker, Beachcomber, First Aid, Fireflight, and Blaster. Also Beachcomber and First Aid aren't really related, but they are being raised by the same caretaker which technically makes them brothers. Hope that clears a few things up!_

_But anyway, I'll be quiet now and get on with the story. _

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Fifteen: Discovery**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 13,578**

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><p>IT SEEMED TO RATCHET THAT THE MEDBAY WAS getting more and more crowded these days. Of course, he spent most of his time there. He was the Autobot's only medic, after all. And, naturally, the two Sparklings he was the caretaker of-Beachcomber and First Aid-were also present a good deal of the time. Then, the influx of new medbay residents had begun, starting with Firestorm. Then Bumblebee had followed four days ago (though he had just spent the night and had been assigned quarters of his own the following day), and, just after Bumblebee had left the medbay, Diesel had come to take his place (although his stay was longer), followed by Scattershot, Computron, and Sideswipe (fortunately, their stays had been only long enough to have minor injuries treated so that they could leave). Even though he knew that having a steady stream of patients coming through the medbay was something to be expected in light of recent events, it was still an adjustment, having to get used to having to deal with more than minor injuries after going a year without having to treat actual battle wounds. But while it was a change of pace, it was his job, and Ratchet treated each injury, every patient, knowing that they depended on him. He couldn't let them down.<p>

At the moment, though, the medbay was empty of patients. Firestorm had returned after the afternoon training session to retrieve the latest set of medical data pads Ratchet had prepared for him to read, but he had taken them to the main hangar so that the two Sparklings would be able to take their naps_-"I will ask you any questions I may have later,"_ Firestorm had told him-and Diesel had been taken by Prowl on a tour of the base, as he had basically been in medbay ever since his arrival so that Ratchet could make sure that there were no complications with the healing of his arm or optic. He was also going to be introduced to the humans on base because, despite being on base for nearly four days, he hadn't really properly met _any_ of them. Ratchet actually planned on discharging Diesel from the medbay that evening, but that didn't mean he shouldn't meet the humans now. He was going to be working with them often, just like the rest of the Autobots. Better for him to meet the humans sooner than later.

With no patients to currently tend to, Ratchet was left sitting at his work desk, going over some datapads that contained information for a project he had been working on sporadically throughout the past year-thank Primus he had had the insight to put the information on this project on the datapads instead of on the main computer so he could work on it whenever he needed; as the network was down, if he hadn't done so he would be unable to go over them right now and make minor adjustments to the information they contained. First Aid was soundly recharging in his berth near the desk, but Beachcomber-who was the second oldest of all the Sparklings and had a habit of waking from recharge early for some reason-was sitting on his lap, partially awake and absently chewing on one of the ears of the stuffed plush otter Carly had given him, staring tiredly at the datapads his caretaker was looking over.

Despite his tiredness, Beachcomber was very interested in what his caretaker was doing. Finally, the Sparkling could no longer contain his curiosity about what his caretaker found so interesting about what, to him, looked like boring, flat pieces of gray metal, and he pointed at the datapads. "What that?"

Ratchet looked down at the Sparkling, showing him one of the datapads. "It's just a project I'm working on, Beachcomber. It's called a GroundBridge."

Beachcomber stared at the datapad curiously. He wasn't sure what the picture on the screen was, but it sure looked weird! Nothing like what he knew a "bridge" was supposed to look like. But his caretaker was smart, so if Ratchet said it was a bridge, then it _had_ to be bridge, even if it didn't look like one. "Oh. 'kay."

"If I ever manage to get it finished to the point where it actually _works_, it'll be a way of instantly traveling to any location on Earth," Ratchet informed the Sparkling, even though he knew that Beachcomber, at his age, wouldn't fully understand just what a GroundBridge was. Keeping this in mind, he skipped over how he had been inspired by the spacebridge technology and had wanted to see if it could function on a smaller, on-planet level, and how useful it would be to the other Autobots and the human members of NEST if he could get it to work, instead explaining the use that Beachcomber would understand better. "When you and the others are a little older, if the bridge is complete and working by then, we'll be able to take all of you on trips to various places."

That caught Beachcomber's full attention, and he looked up at his caretaker with wide, curious optics. "Trip?"

"Yes. We might even be able to take you somewhere you can see all of the animals that you like so much."

The Sparkling beamed up at his caretaker, clicking happily. "Amnimals!"

Ratchet chuckled softly at the Sparkling's enthusiasm. Ever since he had been old enough to take proper notice of his surroundings, Beachcomber had displayed a love for and fascination towards nature, especially animals, much like what Bumblebee had told him Blaster had towards music. Of course, the Sparkling hadn't had much direct contact with animals-save for the occasional dogs that the soldiers who owned them sometimes brought on base for some reason or other-but he loved to watch nature programs on the humans' television networks.

_One good thing to come out of this 'television'_, the medic mused, returning his focus back on the datapads when he noticed that Beachcomber had resumed chewing on his otter plush's ear and appeared to be falling back into recharge. _At least those programs are educational._

The medic finished with the last minor tweak he had been making to the calibrations for the GroundBridge, and gathered all of the datapads up, shutting them off and placing them in one of the drawers of his desk, taking care to keep Beachcomber safely balanced on his lap as he did so. He had just pulled out the medical reports that would help him figure out how to best come up with a new weapon system to replace the one Diesel had lost when there was a soft knock on the medbay door and it opened partway, Computron poking his head in. The small mech was obviously clinging to the other side of the door, as he was close to the top and was staying far too still to be hovering in place.

"Am I disrupting anything, Ratchet?" Computron asked, making sure to keep his voice down at the sight of First Aid recharging in his berth and Beachcomber-still awake, but with extremely droopy optics indicating he was very close to recharge once again-sitting on the medic's lap.

"Not at the moment," Ratchet replied briskly. "I was about to start going over Diesel's medical report, but I haven't started yet."

"You seem to have a new assistant in training," The black and silver mech commented, nodding at Beachcomber as he flew into the room and landed on Ratchet's desk. The Sparkling clicked tiredly at Computron, causing the small mech to smile slightly.

"Him? Oh, I don't think so." Ratchet shook his head, but there was a faint, fond smile on his faceplate as he looked down at the older of his two Sparkling charges. "I think he'll be more inclined towards becoming a scout, especially with his fascination with nature and the way he just likes to quietly sit and take in his surroundings." He shifted his gaze to First Aid's berth. "If either of them are going to go the medic route, I think it will be First Aid. He was named after the colors of his armor, since they're the same as those of human ambulances, but I've noticed that whenever I have to treat a patient and he's in here at the time, he always watches what I'm doing closely. It seems that his naming may be more correct than we thought when we gave it to him."

"I guess we won't really know for sure what they're going to be until they're older, though," Computron mused.

"And there will _not_ be any pressuring them into growing up too fast," Ratchet said firmly. The last Sparkling to come the Autobots' way-Bumblebee-_had_ been forced to grow up extremely fast, and it was something that had bothered all of the older Autobots even though it had been necessary at the time. Fortunately, with their arrival to Earth and the forming of his friendship with Sam, Bumblebee finally had the chance to act his age and regain his lost childhood. Of course, he still had his responsibilities and was always willing to carry them out, but at least now he didn't have to act like a soldier all of the time. Even in light of the recent troubles they had discovered on Earth, circumstances were very different now and the Sparklings they were currently raising did not need to grow into whatever occupations they would choose as quickly as Bumblebee had. The older Autobots were determined to make sure that was the case. Bumblebee was especially adamant about it himself-he didn't want Blaster or any of the others having to go through what he had.

Shaking his head to dismiss his thoughts, the medic looked evenly at Computron once more. "But you didn't come here to talk to me about the Sparklings, Computron. What did you want? Aren't you supposed to be heading the repairs on Teletraan-I?"

"That's what I came here for," the black and silver mech said importantly. "I need to borrow one of your small welding torches."

"How are the repairs going, anyway?" Ratchet questioned as he stood up from his desk, placing the droopy-opticed Beachcomber back into his berth so that his hands would be free as he went to retrieve one of the wielding torches. The Sparkling whined faintly in protest, but Ratchet could tell by the exhaustion in his tone that Beachcomber actually wasn't the least bit upset.

"We're almost done repairing the 'cosmetic' damage," Computron reported in a satisfied tone. "Just need to make a few more welds, both inside and out, and it'll be done. Then all we'll have left to do is power Teletraan-I up and purge the virus from its systems. Unfortunately we won't be able to learn what the Decepticons took until the virus has been totally purged, but that's just how it is. Nothing can really be done about that."

"And how long do you think purging the virus will take?" The medic asked, continuing the conversation with the smaller mech while he was searching through one of the supply cabinets for a welding torch.

"Two, maybe three days. Four, at the most." Computron shook his head. "From what I was able to see before the outer damage knocked Teletraan out of commission so the virus could do its dirty work, it's a pretty strong virus. Howlback probably came up with it herself. And seeing as how Soundwave was the one who taught Howlback everything she knows about writing viruses and hacking, we know that it's definitely going to be hard to get it all cleared out. Not impossible, but very difficult. "

"That wouldn't surprise me one bit." Ratchet had finally located a spare welding torch that was the right size for the smaller mech to use. Turning around and heading back over to his desk, he handed the torch to Computron, who took it. "Here you go, Computron. Be sure to return it when you're finished."

"Not a problem, Ratchet," Computron assured. "Thanks."

"Have you told Optimus where the repairs stand yet?" The medic asked as Computron took off towards the door.

Computron turned his head, hovering in place. "Yes, actually. He was heading back from the room that Scattershot's being kept in when I met up with him. Apparently the Decepticon wanted to talk to Optimus about something, but Optimus didn't say what it was."

"If it was something about what the Decepticons were planning, I'm sure Optimus would have told us." Ratchet looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "He probably just had some more concerns about what we were going to do with him, I bet."

"Maybe. Well, I'm off. Thanks again for the welding torch."

With that, Computron was gone, and Ratchet was once again alone in the medbay with his two Sparkling charges. Both of whom, he was pleased to notice, were recharging soundly-Beachcomber's tiredness had finally caught up to him and caused him to fall back into recharge.

Ratchet sat back down at his desk and pulled the medical reports towards himself.

_Back to work, as usual, _he though wryly.

* * *

><p>Even though Blaster had been in a far calmer mood upon Bumblebee's return from the training session than the young scout had expected, he still didn't want to risk having the Sparkling potentially waking from his recharge nap due to a nightmare. To head off the problem, Bumblebee had simply placed Blaster onto the berth he had been using, covering him with both a thermal blanket and the blanket Sam and Carly had gotten him, before sitting on the berth next to the Sparkling. Experience from the four days he had spent on base had shown him that Blaster only remained calm and nightmare-free if the scout stayed close to him when he recharged. He didn't know if it was because the Sparkling could sense his presence somehow while he recharged or if he simply remembered that his caretaker had been nearby before he had fallen into recharge in the first place; whatever the reason, it had helped Blaster to get the rest he needed. Fortunately, that method was still working, and Blaster had not come out of recharge aside from the brief moment he had awakened when Bumblebee had placed him on the berth-though he had quickly fallen back into recharge once he was covered with both blankets.<p>

Although both Sam and Carly had accompanied Bumblebee to his temporary quarters when he had gone to put Blaster down for his nap, at the moment only Sam was in the room with him and his Sparkling charge. The reason for this was because, while both human members of his family had jobs with NEST, currently only Carly was able to perform hers-she'd been able to take time off to help Sam with Blaster while Bumblebee was training, but now she was needed in the area she worked at. Sam, however, had nothing to do until the repairs to Teletraan-I were complete and the Autobot network was up and running again. The human was clearly bothered by this; he had hidden it remarkably well when Carly had left shortly after Blaster had been settled down in the berth, but Bumblebee could see through his friend. He knew Sam was keeping quiet about it because he didn't want to trouble his friends and because he knew it couldn't be helped anyway.

Even so, Bumblebee brought it up briefly after Carly had left, but Sam waved it off.

"I don't like it, Bee, but it can't be helped and me moping around just because I can't do my regular job isn't going to change that. Besides, helping you get Blaster better is more important," Sam told the young Autobot firmly.

The young scout felt a wave of appreciation towards his human brother for that, but, via pieced-together radio clips, he couldn't help asking, _"Did you ask-Computron-if there was-anything that you could do to help-him with-the repairs?"_ Both the young Autobot and his human friend were extra careful to keep their voices down so they wouldn't wake up Blaster.

Sam grinned ruefully. "Yep, sure did. And he told me, and I quote, 'I appreciate the offer, Sam, but this is something that requires Cybertronian knowledge and skill and not human, and while I appreciate the offer, unless you can turn yourself into an Autobot there isn't much you can do here.'" He sighed. "He's right, too, so I don't mind it really. I wouldn't even know where to begin if I was told to fix the inside of an Autobot computer."

"_Neither would I,"_ Bumblebee offered, trying to cheer up his friend a little bit more. The look of amused incredulity that Sam gave him let him know that it had worked.

"_You_ don't know how to fix an Autobot computer, Bee? But you _are_ an Autobot!"

"_Scout,"_ the young Autobot reminded the human brightly. _"Observing-and-documenting-is my job. Not-repairs."_

"If you say so, Bee." Sam was grinning now.

Bumblebee's stating of the fact that he also had no idea how to go about repairing an Autobot computer had done what the scout had intended, cheering Sam up enough to forget about his not being able to perform his job on base at the moment. Both the young Autobot and his human friend welcomed that bit of humor in light of the dread and unease-brought on by the looming threat of the arrival of Unicron-that had settled in, clouding the thoughts of every Autobot and human present on the base. Bumblebee was grateful for that; he didn't want to think about how scared he was at knowing they were going to fight Unicron and at what would happen to his family if the Autobots failed to win, and he knew Sam felt the same way. Even though no one really outwardly showed those fears, they were undeniably there.

At that thought, Bumblebee realized with a jolt that he had never asked Sam what he had started to the night Blaster had been taken. He'd tried again later, but that was when Blaster had been brought back and he'd needed to see to the Sparkling's wellbeing first. After that, he'd simply been so busy helping Blaster recover from his terrifying ordeal that he hadn't really given it much thought. But now…slag it, he didn't want to bring _this_ up after he had managed to relatively lighten the mood, but it was important. As much as he disliked it, he _needed_ to.

"S-Sam?" He asked hesitantly in his real voice.

Sam looked up at him, open curiosity on his face, as well as faint concern-he knew that Bumblebee usually only spoke in his actual voice if he had something very important or serious to say, or couldn't find the right quotes to word something complicated. "Yeah, Bee?"

"I-if…" the young Autobot hesitated briefly, looking down. Finally, he gathered his nerve, and, venting deeply to steady himself, he looked back up, meeting Sam's gaze. "S-Sam, if something h-happens t-to me w-when we f-fight Unicron, a-and I d-don't c-come b-back…p-promise me t-that y-you'll t-take c-care o-of Blaster for m-me."

The shock and dismay on his brother's face was almost more than he could stand. He knew that those emotions were not present because Sam didn't want to take care of Blaster-he knew that Sam cared about the Sparkling as much as he did; after all, he was Blaster's uncle, so to speak- they were there because Sam was horrified by what Bumblebee was suggesting might very possibly happen. "_What?"_

"Sam…" Bumblebee tried to continue, but the human cut him off, unintentionally raising his voice in a panic.

"Bee, why would you… you can't think like that! You've got to come back!" Before Sam could go on, however, he was interrupted by a soft whimper from Bumblebee's berth. Without meaning to, he'd woken Blaster from his recharge nap. His protests shifted into a quiet "Sorry," before fading completely into guilty silence as he glanced apologetically in Blaster's direction.

"It's o-okay," Bumblebee insisted as he transferred the whimpering Sparkling-the blankets he was wrapped in and all-into his arms. This seemed to comfort Blaster, and his whimpers quieted as he looked tiredly around before snuggling against his caretaker with a soft click. "H-he'll g-go b-back i-into r-recharge q-quickly a-as l-long as I h-hold h-him." He didn't blame Sam for waking Blaster-the Sparkling was, and always had been, a light sleeper, as the humans put it-and having Sam as the reason the Sparkling woke up was preferable by far to it being a nightmare.

Once Blaster was settled again and clearly on his way back into recharge, Bumblebee continued where he had left off in the explanation of his request. "S-Sam, I-I don't k-know w-what will h-happen w-when w-we fight Unicron. B-but…he's s-strong. S-stronger t-than a-all o-of us p-put t-together. W-we only s-stand a c-chance b-because…"

"Because Optimus has the Matrix of Leadership," Sam said quietly in understanding. "And that's the only thing that can put Unicron back out of commission. You guys are only going to be fighting to buy Optimus enough time to use the Matrix, aren't you?"

Bumblebee nodded, his antennae and doorwings drooping sadly. "A-and in t-that t-time, a-anything c-can h-happen. E-even…" He broke off, unable to continue. In his arms, Blaster was still making tired clicking noises as he slowly drifted back into recharge, and Bumblebee silently thanked Primus that the Sparkling was too young and tired to really understand the exact details of what he and Sam were talking about; it was bad enough that Sam needed to hear what he had to say. He looked back at Sam. "I'll t-try m-my b-best t-to c-come b-back. I m-mean it. B-but, o-on t-the c-chance that I d-don't, p-promise m-me y-you'll t-take c-care o-of Blaster f-for m-me. Y-you a-and C-Carly."

"Bee…" Sam's voice was still strong with dismay at the thought of what the scout was implying might happen to him.

"P-please, Sam," Bumblebee requested, the words soft and sad. "P-promise m-me y-you'll t-take c-care of h-him."

Sam was about to protest again, but the sad, earnest pleading he saw in Bumblebee's optics stopped him as he fully realized the truth. Bumblebee didn't like the idea of not coming back any more than he did; he could clearly see that the idea of leaving his family behind both hurt and scared the young Autobot. Sam looked at Blaster-still held in the scout's arms, left thumb firmly in his mouth as he drifted back into recharge-and he realized that if Bumblebee was gone Blaster would be hurt just as much as he would be. Probably a lot more, seeing as how Blaster was still a baby-he wasn't even what the Autobots would consider a year old-and completely relied on the yellow Scout to take care of him. Bumblebee trusted him to take his place as Blaster's caretaker if the worst happened, and Sam knew he couldn't refuse or reject that trust. Besides, he cared about Blaster, too. The little Sparkling would need both him and Carly if Bumblebee didn't come back.

With a sigh, the human visibly deflated, his shoulders slumping in acceptance. "I promise, Bee. Blaster will be safe with us. We'll take good care of him. Just…promise that you'll come back from the battle, okay?"

Bumblebee hesitated briefly, then nodded, and Sam relaxed the rest of the way, although it was easy to see by his expression that he was still deeply troubled by what the scout had just told him.

Quiet settled back in the room after that, but this was not the same comfortable silence from earlier. Bumblebee mentally berated himself for ruining Sam's good spirits, but he knew that he had needed to make his request. And he knew Sam understood; his friend's promise to look after Blaster despite the fact that he didn't even want to consider the possibility that the scout would not return from the battle against Unicron was proof enough of that. But the fact that he had made Sam troubled was not the main thing making him feel guilty. No, it wasn't.

Even though he had wordlessly confirmed that he would come back from the fight against Unicron, Bumblebee knew that, in reality, he could _not _guarantee that he would return at all, despite what he had just done to reassure Sam. The only thing he could promise was that he would try his best to return. He could tell that Sam knew that, but hadn't pressed the issue because he also knew how hard the conversation had been for Bumblebee in the first place and that the Autobot hadn't meant to make him worry. Still, knowing that he couldn't promise that he would ever see his family again hurt.

A few more minutes of uncomfortable silence went by, then Sam suddenly spoke up again.

"Bee, do you remember what we talked about when I was having those really bad nightmares three years ago?"

The young Autobot nodded, though he was puzzled at the apparent change of topic the long silence had brought, and wondered where Sam was going with this.

"I know that you can't really promise for sure that you'll come back from the fight with Unicron," Sam continued hesitantly, looking at the floor briefly before focusing on the young Autobot once again. "I shouldn't have tried to get you to promise it in the first place. What you told me then-that there aren't any guarantees about who'll survive in a war-I shouldn't forget that. So…just try your best, and that'll be good enough. Okay?"

Bumblebee warbled quietly in gratitude at Sam's understanding. _"And if I don't come back-"_

Sam gave him a small, sad smile. "Then I know you'll still be watching over me, and Blaster, and everyone, just in a different way than you usually would."

The silence that followed the true conclusion of their conversation was more comfortable this time, and the young Autobot felt a little better at the human's words, but he still couldn't fully shake the troubled thoughts from his processor. _I'll watch over you no matter what, Sam. _His attention shifted and he looked back down at the peacefully recharging Blaster. _And you, too, sprout._ _ But_ _I hope it won't come to having to watch over you like that. I really, really hope it won't._

* * *

><p>Computron had buried himself deep within the inner workings of Teletraan-I, courtesy of an open panel on one side of the main console. Armed with the relatively miniature welding torch Ratchet had lent him, the small black and silver mech was busily welding a support in place for some of the freshly reattached wires, insuring that they would stay in place from now on-having them held up make it easier to conduct repairs in the future. With one final weld, Computron let out a sound of triumph-which was muffled due to the fact that he was holding the welding torch in his mouth-and exited the inner workings of the computer.<p>

Placing the welding torch on the floor, Computron turned his attention to the three Autobots he had asked to help him in repairing Teletraan-I-Mirage, Wheelie, and Brains. Well, Mirage actually had not truly been asked to help with the repairs. He had offered to help himself as he knew there were some things the smaller Autobots would find difficult to do on their own. As he and Computron often worked together in overseeing the network when it was up and running, Mirage had felt it only right to offer to assist his friend in fixing what was wrong, and Computron had gratefully accepted his help. Computron _had_ asked Wheelie and Brains to help him, and the smaller Autobots were eager to do so as they were two of the few Autobots who didn't have a set job within NEST and wanted to be useful.

Each one of them had important jobs in the repair process. Wheelie and Brains had helped Computron in fixing what had been damaged on the inside-reattaching the wires that had been knocked loose and replacing the ones that had been damaged by Howlback's attack-and Mirage had taken care of the outer damage on the surface console, and now that the inner workings were done, he would take charge of closing up all the open panels that the smaller Autobots had used to access the damage inside, as well. And, once that was complete, Brains would help Computron begin the process of purging the Decepticon virus from Teletraan-I's systems.

Computron nodded at Mirage. "Alright, Mirage, it's done. Go ahead and seal it." The black and silver mech set the welding torch he had been using to one side-it was too small for the larger mech to be able to use it easily-and pushed a nearby full-sized one towards Mirage, who took it and immediately set to work sealing the panels that had been left open.

"You said the purging of the virus will take around three days?" The red mech questioned as he worked.

"About three days, yeah. Two, if we're lucky. And if we aren't, it could take four days or more to get the job done. But I think Brains and I can get it done in three days, if not two."

"Shouldn't be a problem at all," Brains replied confidently, backing up Computron's assessment of the last bit of repair work that awaited them.

"And once everything is finished, we'll finally be able to find out what it was the Decepticons were after and make plans to deal with it." Computron looked up at Teletraan-I's dark screen thoughtfully. "Won't be much longer, now. Just three days."

In Mirage's opinion, three days was three days too many. The red mech was impatient to get the network back up and running so that they would be able to find out what information Howlback had stolen, and do something about it. Whatever it was, there was no doubt that the Decepticons weren't going to do anything with it that would be pleasant for the Autobots or their human allies. But, impatience aside, Mirage knew that purging a virus, especially one as complex as the one they were facing-based upon what Computron told them he had seen of it before the network had completely crashed-was something that took time if it was to be done correctly. Rushing through a virus purge could result in traces of the virus staying undetected in the system, which would only cause more problems. Yes, purging a virus was something that needed to be done slowly and carefully, and, knowing this, Mirage willingly pushed his impatience aside as he worked alongside the others to get the job done correctly.

"What worries me," Mirage spoke up again after a few moments of silence broken only by the buzzing noise of the welding torch, "Is the fact that, despite the severe disadvantage they had against us, that small group of Decepticons attacked our base to get this information. We could have finished them off completely. Whatever they took must be vital, otherwise they wouldn't have risked it." There were several things, varying pieces of information, that Teletraan-I and the Autobot Network held, every bit of it important to the Autobots and their human allies. The idea of the Decepticons getting hold of any of it was troubling.

"It worries all of us," Computron agreed. "That's why we need to get this done as soon as possible."

"Fortunately, there's one less worry now," Mirage announced, finishing off the last weld. "All of the outer damage is finally finished. Since you three just finished the inner, non-virus related damage, there's only one more thing left to do."

"Time to show your stuff, Brains," Wheelie told his friend.

The small mech jumped onto the console alongside Computron, who was already perched there and beginning the boot order for the computer. The black and silver mech looked at Brains. "Ready to put those skills of yours to work, then?"

Brains cracked his knuckle joints with a sound of scrapping metal, eager to do his part in solving the mystery of what the Decepticons had been so desperate to get a hold of. "Let's get to it!"

* * *

><p>"And down this hall are the quarters for all those Autobots who stay on base. Be quiet, though; there are Sparklings recharging in some of them. There are also several empty ones, too, of course, ready for use by any new arrivals." Prowl glanced at Diesel. The smaller Autobot was looking down the hall with interest. "You'll be able to choose which room you want from those that are currently empty."<p>

The gray armored mech shrugged. "Yes, if Ratchet ever lets me out of the medbay. He wants to be absolutely sure I have no lasting damage from what the Decepticons did to me before he gives me a clean bill of health."

During his nearly four day stay in the medbay, Diesel had been filled in on recent events by the combined reports of the other Autobots. Even though the series of transmissions he had picked up, the ones that had led him to Earth, _had_ contained reports on what the Autobots dealt with on their new home, they were extremely condensed versions. Now that he was with the others again, Diesel was able to fully hear the tale of the All-Spark's destruction, the rise of the Fallen, the finding of the Matrix of Leadership and the subsequent destruction of both the Solar Harvester and the Fallen, Sentinel Prime's betrayal and the final, terrible conflict with the Decepticons that had ended with Sentinel and Megatron's death, the scattering of the surviving Decepticons, and the destruction of Cybertron. Amongst all the sadness the reports contained, there was hope. That hope had come in the form of the finding of the Hatchlings who had grown into the five Sparklings the Autobots were raising. It was also more than a little surprising that the Sparklings had come from a Decepticon camp and the fact that they had survived long enough for the Autobots to rescue them was a miracle.

But as surprising as the presence of the Sparklings was, it was what Diesel had been told next that was the _real_ shock.

Like the other Autobots had all been upon hearing the news for the first time, the gray mech had been surprised, and, at first, more than a little doubtful, when he had been told of the imminent arrival of Unicron the Destroyer. He had grown up hearing the old legend about the battle between Primus, the Thirteen, and Unicron, but he had never given any thought to it possibly being real and had always dismissed it as nothing more than a story. However, any doubts he had were dismissed quickly once he saw that Optimus and the others believed the warning Firestorm had delivered and were taking it seriously. They had no choice, if they wanted to save this planet and those who lived on it. Earth was their home now, and the humans were their trusted allies and friends. They had to protect them.

Diesel had not seen much of Earth, but he had already started to feel attached to it; what he had seen was wonderful, and reminded him of the way Cybertron had been before the war, even though both planets were vastly different. The Autobots hadn't been able to save Cybertron, but perhaps they could save Earth, and they would need every bit of help they could get. True, he had yet to be discharged from the medbay and was also currently weaponless, but he'd help any way he could. The idea of facing down a being that was considered the be a god by Cybertronians was frightening, but nowhere near as frightening as the knowledge of what Unicron was no doubt planning to do to Earth once he arrived.

Every Autobot had to be battle-ready when the time came.

"Any solutions to your weapons problem yet?" Prowl questioned as the two of them turned away from the hall that lead to the Autobot quarters, heading back to the main hangar so that Diesel could be introduced to some of the human soldiers. The Security Officer knew that the gray mech was a good, reliable soldier, and the Autobots would need him in the coming battle; therefore, he needed to acquire a replacement weapon as soon as he possibly could.

"Well, my arm attachment for weaponry is pretty much gone, so Ratchet suggested that I look into sidearms, like a plasma rifle or something, while he comes up with a new system to replace what the Decepticons took," Diesel replied. "I've found a couple that look similar to something I used on Cybertron once or twice, so I'll probably pick one of those."

"If you have any trouble deciding what you want your new weapons to be, you should ask Sideswipe for an opinion," Prowl suggested. "We currently don't have a Weapons Specialist here on Earth after what…well, you know. But Sideswipe learned quite a bit about weapons from when Ironhide was mentoring him. He should be able to help you there."

"He's already offered to help, if I ask, sir."

"And there's getting you an alt mode, as well," Prowl continued as the two of them entered the main hangar.

"I've already looked at some of the human vehicles, sir, and I've found a couple I like, but I want to see how they maneuver before I choose," Diesel reported eagerly, but he soon turned wistful. "I'd really like an aquatic alt mode-I was from one of the shore district colonies on Cybertron, so it's what I'm used to and most comfortable with-but it's not practical for where we're based and won't do any good, so I'm going for wheels this time."

"Well, there is a combined Human-Autobot training session this evening." Prowl looked thoughtful. "You should come and watch. You'll not only be able to see just how we work together, you'll also be able to see some of the human vehicles in action."

Diesel looked up at the Security Officer, doubt and a hint of nervousness showing in his optics. He still wasn't used to being around others, and he felt hesitant when around more than two or three other Autobots. But the real reason he was hesitant to accept Prowl's invitation to watch the later training session wasn't just that. "I'd like that, but I'll have to ask Ratchet if it's okay for me to be out of the medbay then. He still hasn't given me the all-clear yet. I think he's waiting until he can figure out how to give me a new weapons system, but I'm not sure."

"Well, when you get back to the medbay, you can ask him yourself if you can." Prowl looked over to a small group of human soldiers standing together next to the old Seeker Firestorm, apparently deep in conversation, though a couple of them looked up and waved at the two Autobots as they came closer. "In the meantime, I think it's high time you were properly introduced to our human friends and allies."

Diesel nodded in agreement as he followed Prowl over to where Firestorm and the soldiers were standing, regarding the group of humans with a hesitant interest. And, despite his uneasiness around others, after hearing of their species' bravery, he was looking forward to getting to know each and every one of them.

* * *

><p>"Trailbreaker, please slow down and come back here before you fall and hurt yourself," Optimus reprimanded. As soon as the Prime had opened the door to the quarters he shared with Trailbreaker, the Sparkling-full of the energy that the Sparklings always seemed to have upon waking from recharge-had run out into the hall, eager to play with his friends again. While it was all well and good that Trailbreaker wanted to be with his friends, the Sparkling was still working to master walking completely-he was still fairly unsteady-and, as a result, was not even close to being an accomplished runner. Optimus had no desire to see Trailbreaker lose his balance, or trip and fall. He could very possibly be hurt if such a thing were to happen.<p>

At his caretaker's scolding, Trailbreaker stopped and walked unsteadily back, looking downcast as he took hold of the hand Optimus offered him. "S'rry, Opt."

"It is alright, Trailbreaker. You just need to wait until you are a little steadier on your feet before you try running. I do not want you to accidently get hurt doing so, understand?"

Trailbreaker was quiet for a moment, contemplating his caretaker's words. He nodded, looking up at Optimus seriously. "'kay, Opt. No run anymore."

"Good." The Prime offered the Sparkling a smile, then turned his attention to the Sparkling play area as he and Trailbreaker entered the main hangar. "Besides, you will need your energy to play with your friends."

All of the other Sparklings had woken up from their recharge naps as well, their caretakers bringing them to the main hangar as those with Sparklings who were going to participate in the training session with the humans prepared to leave them under the watchful optics of the evening's Sparkling sitters-Sunstreaker and Mirage (who had taken leave from the repairing of Teletraan-I as Brains and Computron were currently working on the last part of the repairs themselves, though they had promised to keep him up-to–date and to inform him when the repairs were nearly complete). Optimus made sure that Trailbreaker was safely in the play area, then moved to talk to the humans who were assembling nearby, joining Firestorm, Prowl and Diesel. The Security Officer was still in the process of introducing the gray mech to the soldiers, and the old Seeker was simply listening to the conversations of the others. Optimus noticed that the humans were slowly starting to not look at Firestorm with nothing but the suspicion they had been directing towards him ever since he had come out of stasis. They were beginning to trust him, too, and that was good. They would need to trust him if they hoped to win the coming battles.

Sideswipe-somehow managing to keep a secure hold on Fireflight even though the Sparkling was wriggling madly as he let out happy squeals-was giving instructions to a disgruntled looking Sunstreaker.

"I think he's started trying to fly, Sunstreaker-he tried to jump off some of the blocks earlier-so you need to watch him _carefully_."

"I _know_, Sideswipe," Sunstreaker insisted wearily. It was true-he'd seen firsthand the red and silver Sparkling's attempts to fly, as he had tried to jump from Sideswipe's arms into his berth earlier when he had been set down for his recharge nap. "I've watched him how many times for you now? You know that I'll keep a close optic on him."

"But in all those times he's never tried to fly," Sideswipe pressed, looking at Fireflight worriedly on last time before he sat the Sparkling in the play area. Fireflight clicked happily and made his way over to some of the toys that lay scattered about. "This is new."

"Sides," Sunstreaker replied firmly. "He'll be _fine_. I promise. If he tries jumping off of anything, I'll catch him."

"Even if it scratches your paint?" Sideswipe asked.

The yellow mech grimaced, but nodded. "Even if it scratches my paint."

_I'm sure Ratchet will be able to fix it if you do get your paint scratched, Sunstreaker,_ Bumblebee told the older mech as he came to a stop next to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, Sam following close behind him. Bumblebee and his human brother were feeling considerably more cheerful after their earlier depressing conversation-this had to do with Blaster when he had woken properly from recharge. There was just something about playing with the Sparkling that made it impossible to remain upset. The scout was holding Blaster securely; the little red Sparkling had one arm wrapped firmly around his stuffed penguin and was looking around curiously, but, unlike Fireflight, he didn't wriggle in an attempt to get down, content to stay with his caretaker.

Sunstreaker gave Bumblebee a withering glance at the younger mech's suggestion, but there was more amusement than annoyance in his tone as he responded. "Oh, no, I'm not going to go to Ratchet for scratched paint. I have no desire to get a wrench to my helm. I'll deal with it on my own if it happens, thanks."

"You'd better, because I have no intention of wasting my time dealing with something as minor as _paint scratches_," the medic's irritated voice came from behind the three conversing Autobots.

Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Sam turned to see Ratchet standing with First Aid held in one arm and Beachcomber holding onto his free hand.

_Why are you bringing First Aid and Beachcomber to the play area, Ratchet?_ Bumblebee asked curiously. _Why not keep them in the medbay? You're not taking part in the evening training session, are you?_

"No, I'm not. Normally I _would_ let them stay with me, but unfortunately I still have projects to attend to and I don't what these two getting into things that they shouldn't." Ratchet sat First Aid next to Beachcomber, maintaining a gentle hold on the red and white Sparkling until he was able to get a decent balance. "Go on, Beachcomber, take your brother into the play area and go to your friends." Once his two charges were safely in the play area, the medic turned his attention back to the others. "What's this about Fireflight trying to fly?"

Sideswipe shrugged. "Just what it sounds like, Ratchet. Earlier today, after we got back from the afternoon training session, he climbed on top of some of the blocks in there," the silver mech gestured in the direction of the play area, "and tried to jump off. It being an attempt to fly is the only reason I can see for him doing something like that."

"Hmm." Ratchet looked thoughtful, glancing over at Fireflight briefly before refocusing back on Sideswipe. "Given his age, that's not surprising. It's around this time that all flight-capable Cybertronians will start to attempt flight, even though they will not be able to do so."

"I don't want him to get hurt trying to fly when he can't yet," Sideswipe said, looking worried again. "Is there any way to prevent him from trying to fly until he's actually able to do so?"

"No, not exactly," Ratchet informed the silver mech. "He'll eventually figure out he can't fly on his own yet, but until he does, he just needs to be watched more carefully."

Sideswipe nodded. "All right." He turned to Sunstreaker. "_Carefully_, Sunstreaker, okay?"

"I already _told_ you I would," Sunstreaker replied wearily.

The medic shook his head, turning his attention from the twin mechs to Bumblebee and the Sparkling the yellow mech was holding. "How is Blaster doing, Bumblebee?"

_Better._ Bumblebee looked down at the little Sparkling, who looked back up at him and squeaked happily, causing the young mech to form his faceplates into as close to a smile as he could get. _Sam said he cried a little when I was gone earlier, but he actually seemed relatively calm when I got back. He did settle pretty fast when I picked him up. I think he might have finally realized nothing bad will happen when I'm not around, but I'm not sure. I guess…I guess I'll see if that's true when I leave for the next session._

"Yes." Ratchet shifted his gaze to Sam, who had been listening with amusement to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's conversation. However, having noticed that Ratchet was now focusing on him, Sam had turned away from the two mechs and was looking up at the medic curiously. "I assume you will be watching Blaster while Bumblebee is training, Sam."

"Yep." Sam nodded.

"Do you think he will be better off this time than he was earlier?"

"Maybe?" Sam frowned thoughtfully. "Going by what happened earlier, I think so, yeah. He might be a little upset at first, but I don't think he'll panic like he did the first time."

_Hopefully not,_ Bumblebee agreed, slight worry mixed with hope showing in his optics.

"And how is your leg, Bumblebee?" The medic questioned, looking back at the younger Autobot.

_Still a little stiff, but it's not hurting,_ Bumblebee replied.

"Any pain during the training earlier?" Ratchet asked.

_No, Ratchet, none._

Ratchet nodded in satisfaction. Before he could say anything more to Sam and Bumblebee, however, he caught sight of Optimus Prime motioning him over to where the Autobot leader stood with Firestorm, Prowl, Diesel, and a number of the human soldiers. With another parting nod towards the others, the medic crossed the distance to where Optimus was waiting, arriving just as Prowl headed away from the group, making his way towards the room where Scattershot was being held, so he could take over the watch from Red Alert so that the red-armored mech could go train with the others.

"What is it, Optimus?" Ratchet questioned.

"I believe that Diesel would like to ask you something," The Prime informed, nodding in the direction of the gray mech.

"Yes?"

"I know I haven't been cleared for duty yet, and I don't have weapons or an alt mode either," Diesel said hesitantly. "But I would like to watch the training session. Watch, not participate. Just to see how things work and to maybe see if one of the human vehicles would be a good alt mode for me. Is that alright, sir?"

The medic thought for a moment. True, he was planning to release Diesel from the medbay later that day. No reason why the mech shouldn't be allowed to watch the training. He needed to continue to get used to being back around others, anyway. "Yes, you may." At Diesel's excited expression, the medic pointed at him. "You may _watch_, and watch _only._ Understand?" Ratchet's voice was stern.

Diesel nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'll just watch."

Satisfied with the other mech's answer, Ratchet looked back at Optimus. "If you do not need me for anything else, Optimus, I'm going back to the medbay. I have some projects to work on and medical reports to organize and go over." At the Prime's silent, dismissive nod, the medic turned and headed back to the medbay.

Once Ratchet was gone, the Prime looked over at the assembled Autobots and humans, and spoke up. "We are leaving for the training session now. All of you here who are participating, please follow me." He turned and exited the hangar, followed by the humans, Diesel, and Firestorm.

The old Seeker paused and looked back at Sideswipe and Bumblebee. "Coming, young 'uns?"

At Firestorm's words, Sideswipe shot a glare at the old Seeker, annoyed that the old Decepticon had spoken to him like he was a Youngling. "Don't call me that," He growled angrily. Leaving the play area, he walked past Firestorm without looking at or speaking to him again. "Carefully, Sunstreaker," He called over his shoulder one last time, ignoring his brother's grumbles.

Firestorm watched Sideswipe go, then shook his head in defeat and followed after him.

Now the only member of the group left in the main hangar, Bumblebee sat Blaster down in the play area next to Sam. The Sparkling whined sadly, but quieted when the scout gave his head an affectionate rub. He looked to Sam, his worry fading slightly at the confidence he saw in his friend's eyes.

"He'll be alright, Bee. I'll stay with him, just like earlier," Sam promised.

Bumblebee nodded in relief before standing and heading out of the hangar as well. He knew Blaster was watching him go, but the Sparkling wasn't crying this time. That was a very good sign.

It meant that leaving Blaster behind earlier that day had shown the Sparkling that nothing would bad would happen to him just because Bumblebee was not there, and, thanks to that, Blaster was finally, properly, healing.

The young Scout hurried to catch up to the older Autobots. Now that he knew his Sparkling charge was going to be just fine, he found himself eager to participate in the training session. Never mind what the training was for. He couldn't forget that, not really, but he didn't want to think about it now. He'd had too many depressing thoughts and feelings during his conversation with Sam. He didn't need any more right now. He just needed to focus on being ready. That was the important thing now. For him, and all of the other Autobots.

Bumblebee needed to be ready so that he could protect his family.

* * *

><p>Even though there had been a few brief moments at the beginning where their teamwork wasn't as good as it could have been-Firestorm took full responsibility for that as this was his first time truly working alongside the humans-that evening's training session had gone remarkably well. Firestorm, despite the shaky start he'd had due to fearing he would accidentally injure the human soldiers, was proving to be an invaluable addition to the ranks of NEST. He was a strong fighter and they needed that strength for what was to come. And the humans, even knowing that they would only be able to help against the Decepticons and not in the fight against Unicron, had put all of their effort into the training as well. Everything Optimus had seen during that training session let the Prime know that they would be ready for both battles when they came.<p>

The only trouble was that, while they knew when they would need to fight Unicron, they had no way of knowing when and where the _Decepticons_ would strike. Yes, things had been quiet since the skirmish outside the factory, but Optimus knew Cyclonus. The Decepticon Air Commander would _never_ leave the Autobots alone; his fierce loyalty to Megatron meant that he would continuously seek vengeance for the Decepticon leader's death. The attack would come, but where and when was unknown. But they would be ready.

And, as soon as Computron and the others finished the repairs to Teletraan-I and got the Autobot Network back up and running, they would be able to see what it was the Decepticons had taken and, by that token, know what they were planning. Then, and only then, would the Autobots and their human allies be able to truly ready themselves for the battle that was no doubt coming, and coming soon.

Upon their arrival back in the main hangar, the members of the training session dispersed-the humans going to the mess hall for their evening meal, and the Autobots to their quarters, except for Firestorm and Diesel, who headed back to the medbay, and those who had Sparkling charges headed towards the play area to retrieve them. Optimus joined Sideswipe, who was rushing towards the play area so he could see for himself that Fireflight had not been hurt in an attempt to fly-even though he trusted his brother, he still worried-and Bumblebee followed close behind the Prime.

As he got closer to the Sparkling play area, Optimus could see that, once again, Trailbreaker was sitting next to Blaster. Only this time, First Aid was with them and the three Sparklings were all playing with the soft blocks and other toys that were always close at hand in the play area. Well, truth be told, Blaster was still not actually playing. The little red Sparkling was sitting in-between Trailbreaker and Sam-who was kneeling next to the Sparklings and helping them stack the toy blocks together-hugging his stuffed penguin. He still looked a little anxious, but was smiling a little and every now and then he would hand Sam one of the blocks so that the others could continue to build what appeared to be a tower.

"It looks like you certainly have your hands full, Sam," The Prime acknowledged, amusement evident in his tone as he came to a stop next to the human.

Sam shrugged, smiling. "Eh, not really, Optimus. They've all been behaving themselves. Probably because it's evening and they're starting to get tired again."

"Speaking of which," Optimus continued, looking at the human before looking at Bumblebee as the scout came up next to him, "Are you going to be returning to your home before it gets too late?"

"Yep, as soon as Carly's ready we're gonna go home."

_I'm happy to be able to go home. I think Blaster will be, too. But I have to see Ratchet before we leave, though,_ Bumblebee transmitted as he picked up Blaster, who had been clicking at his caretaker to do just that, little arms held out as he stared up at the young scout pleadingly. _I need to get some more of the Sparkling Energon formula. The supply at home is almost out, but I didn't need to worry about it while I was staying here on base._ He looked at Blaster, who was looking down at his friends from the scout's arms, giggling slightly as Trailbreaker waved up at him-something that amused the Sparkling as his friends all were taller than he was, but not when Bumblebee was holding him. _Blaster's doing much better, but I think what he really needs is to go home and rest in his own berth._

Optimus nodded. "I see." He glanced in the direction of the room that housed Teletraan-I and then returned his attention to Sam and Bumblebee. "Go home and rest. The repairs on Teletraan-I are nearly complete and we will all need to be alert when we find out what we have to deal with. I have no doubts that you will all be needed the moment the repairs are finished."

* * *

><p>Blaster squealed with happiness as he rolled himself in the blankets that were spread out in his berth. It was late and he was tired, but he was so happy to be home he took no notice at the moment. His berth, his real <em>berth<em>! Due to his young age, Blaster was incapable of wording just how glad he was to be back home after being on the base with his caretaker for four days, but he was able to show his joy effectively, so it didn't matter. He knew that he was safe from the bad ones as long as his family and friends were around, but he was _really_ safe here. The bad ones didn't know this was where he lived. They thought he lived at the big place with all the others. But his family fooled them! The bad ones would _never_ find him here. But if for some reason they did, Bumblebee and the rest of his family would get rid of them.

"Well, he's certainly settled back in," Carly commented, smiling at the sight of the little Sparkling busily rolling himself into his blankets, which he had been doing from the moment Bumblebee had placed him in the berth so that the scout could get the Sparkling's evening bottle of Energon formula ready. After four days of Blaster being timid and quiet for the most part, seeing the little Sparkling cheerful again was a welcome sight.

The drive from the base back to the Witwicky home had been quiet enough. Wheelie and Brains were not there to make their sarcastic comments as they were both staying on base to help Computron finish the last of the repairs to the network, and Blaster had been sitting quietly on Carly's lap, half falling into recharge. However, as soon as he had seen the house, Blaster had started making his happy squeals and clicks, and once they were all inside, the Sparkling had started crawling around and looking at everything, as if he was trying to reassure himself that yes, they were home, and he had pounced on his blankets the moment Bumblebee had placed him in his berth. The happy energy he had lost when he had been captured by the Decepticons seemed to have finally returned, and for that, every member of his family was grateful. Said energy would not last very long, as it was very close to the Sparkling's recharge time, but it was nice to see regardless.

But there was still the question of whether or not Blaster would be able to recharge by himself that night. Bumblebee hoped that he would, but he decided to remain close by when the Sparkling recharged, just in case Blaster had another nightmare and woke up needing comfort.

The scout had finished filling the bottle he held with Energon formula and was making his way over to the berth when the Sparkling's happy squeals changed into distressed squeaks. With a quiet warble of dismay, Bumblebee hurried over to see what was upsetting Blaster, but relaxed when he saw that the source of the trouble was simply that the little Sparkling had gotten himself tangled in his blankets and, having tired enough to stop rolling in them, had noticed it and gotten upset. Sam was working to free him as Bumblebee came to a stop next to the berth, and as the human pulled him free from the blankets, Blaster's distressed cries immediately became tired, yet happy, clicks as he was transferred from the tangle of blankets to Sam's arms.

"You just got a little _too_ settled in there, didn't you?" Sam told Blaster, a smile on his face.

The little Sparkling squeaked sleepily at him before noticing Bumblebee nearby with the Energon bottle in one hand. With several soft clicks, he began to reach towards the scout, the fact that he was hungry fighting the tiredness he felt.

Sam turned and handed Blaster to Bumblebee. "I think someone's hungry."

Bumblebee took Blaster from his friend and handed him the Energon bottle, adjusting his hold so that the Sparkling was secure. Blaster snuggled against his caretaker as he drank from the bottle, his optics drooping in tiredness. _He's had a rough day. No wonder he's so tired._ _I just hope he doesn't fall into recharge before he finishes the bottle,_ Bumblebee thought, watching the Sparkling carefully. If that happened, he'd have to be quick enough to catch the bottle before Blaster dropped it or spilled it.

He noticed that Sam and Carly were both looking at him with concerned and worried expressions on their faces, and shifted his attention from Blaster to them, tilting his head to one side slightly in confusion. _"What?"_ He asked curiously, wondering if something was wrong.

Sam hesitated briefly, then spoke up. "Bee, back at the base, when you were getting the Energon from Ratchet, Carly and I talked…about what you and me talked about when Blaster was napping earlier."

The scout's antennae lowered slightly at the mention of that painful conversation. The thought of leaving his family behind, combined with the initial fear and dread he felt at the thought of facing Unicron, added to the fact that he might not return from that battle…it hurt and terrified him. Who would look after his family if he was gone? Bumblebee had asked Sam to look after Blaster if the worst happened, yes, and while it was comforting to know that he would, the scout wished he hadn't needed to make the request in the first place.

To Bumblebee's surprise, it was Carly who stepped forward to offer comfort this time. "Bumblebee, it's going to be okay. I know it doesn't look that way right now, but it will."

"I know you're scared, Bee," Sam added softly. "We are, too. But no matter what happens, we'll be here. You, me, Carly, Blaster, and Wheelie and Brains-we're a family, got it? And family's something you never lose, no matter what happens."

Bumblebee warbled gratefully at the human members of his family. In his arms, Blaster finished the last of the Energon from the bottle, clicking tiredly again as he leaned back into his caretaker's arms and shuttered his optics. Bumblebee sat the now-empty bottle aside and, kneeling down, he gave Sam and Carly the closest thing to a gentle, appreciative hug he could manage with having only one free arm. Their words had cheered him up significantly. While he, like earlier, still felt uneasy at the idea of the looming battle, he promised himself then and there that he would do everything possible to be ready for that conflict, beginning with the training he would take part in the next day, so that he would prove that Sam and Carly's confidence in him was not misplaced.

* * *

><p>After his first time training with the Autobots, Firestorm had been placed in charge of all of the training sessions that the Autobots participated in without the humans. It only made sense to do this, as he knew more about Unicron than any of the others present-even Optimus, who had spent his Younglinghood working in the Iacon Hall of Records, dealing with history and the like-so the others hadn't protested too much, even though Red Alert and Sideswipe weren't fond of letting the old Seeker have so much say in their battle planning and training. But Firestorm's knowledge was needed, so even they kept their protests to themselves for the most part so that Firestorm could figure out what they would need to do.<p>

And, only three days after Optimus had given him charge over the training sessions, Firestorm had put forth a plan for the encounter with Unicron-a risky one, but it was the only way they would have a chance to defeat him.

The plan was for the majority of the Autobots to distract Unicron with a battle-something that all of the Autobots had already known they would have to do-while a small group, consisting of Firestorm, Optimus, and one or two others, made their way to the Chaos Bringer's Spark Chamber so that the Matrix of Leadership could be used to defeat him. It was a rough plan and needed fine-tuning-which would come as the training progressed and once they knew where each Autobots' skills would be needed the most-but Firestorm assured them that it was the only way to go about it that would have even a chance of success. Regardless of what they did, though, they all knew that Unicron would not go quietly, and there was still a chance that the battle would not turn out the way they wanted, but they had no choice. They would have to risk it.

Unfortunately, they were not as secure in their knowledge of dealing with Cyclonus and the remaining Decepticons as they were with what they needed to do against Unicron. While it was true that Unicron was the more pressing matter due to what he was capable of, the Autobots did not take the knowledge that the Decepticons were under new leadership and planning something lightly, but until Teletraan-I was repaired, they would just have to go about it as they always had-training, patrolling, and listening for any word about events that might have root in Decepticon activity.

So far, they had heard and found nothing, but Optimus knew that did not mean that the Decepticons were not active anymore. The Decepticons were out there even if they weren't letting themselves be seen; no doubt they were being more cautious now after what had happened at the abandoned factory. Prowl was constantly urging the Autobots on patrol to be vigilant, and Red Alert did so as well, albeit in his unique, paranoid way-_"Any vehicle or machine could be a Decepticon just waiting to drop his cover and attack you, so WATCH OUT!"_

* * *

><p>"That is enough for now." Firestorm examined the gash in the armor plating on his left wing-a result of the blanks the Autobots used in their various weapons when they were training against each other so as not to cause any serious damage, something they were unable to do if they actually used their normal weapons-before turning his attention to Bumblebee. The old Seeker was visibly impressed. "Good work, young 'un, you have improved a lot over the past few days."<p>

Even though most of the other Autobots-Bumblebee included-didn't like the idea of sparring with Firestorm-he was very old, after all- and some of the others didn't trust him enough to want to train with him, when the former Decepticon had pointed out that the Autobots all needed to be able to face down a much larger opponent they had all agreed it was best to do so. Unicron was larger than all of them combined in his alt mode alone-Bumblebee shuddered to think of what the Destroyer would be like in robot mode-and as Firestorm was the largest Cybertronian among them, it only made sense for him to be the one to test each Autobot in turn to see how well they fought against a larger opponent.

As one of the smaller Autobots, Bumblebee had been having trouble going against the old Seeker. Yes, he'd fought Decepticons bigger that he was before, but Firestorm was larger than any of those Decepticons had been and was more of a challenge. The scout knew how to use his small size and speed to his advantage to avoid attacks and fight back, but those tactics needed to be adjusted according to the size of the opponent he faced. It had taken a few days, but now, after several training sessions and some advice from both Optimus and Firestorm, Bumblebee, like the rest of the Autobots, had improved enough the he was finally beginning to feel that he would be able to fight Unicron as well as he had fought Decepticons in past battles. He was still scared and nervous about it, but he felt slightly better now that he knew he would be as prepared to fight as it was possible foe him to be.

_Did I hurt you?_ Bumblebee asked anxiously, despite the pride he felt at Firestorm's praise, eying the gash on the old Seeker's wing worriedly.

"Not at all, young 'un. It is only a scratch. My self-repair systems will take care of it just fine." Firestorm offered the Youngling a small smile, and then turned his attention to Optimus Prime, who had been watching from where he stood next to the other Autobots-the training group today consisted of Sunstreaker, Silverbolt, and Diesel (who had finally been discharged from the medbay and had armed himself with a spare plasma rifle as Ratchet was still working on a new weapons system for him), in addition to himself, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee. "I think there has been enough training for now."

Optimus nodded in agreement. The training session they were currently taking part in had been going on for about three hours. They had done all the normal parts of training-flight exercises, target practice, and sparring-and Bumblebee had been the last one to go against Firestorm in the sparring session. They'd all made excellent progress. It would be all right to end the training now and return later that evening to continue. "Yes, we have done enough training for this session." The Prime's next statement was addressed to all those present. "We will resume training later this evening, but until then, get some rest. Well done, all of you."

Optimus had just started to lead Firestorm and the group of Autobots who had taken part in the training session from the training field to the main hangar when the familiar police car alt mode of Prowl came into view, driving up the road from the hangars to the training field. Once he was close enough, the Security Officer Transformed into his robot mode and strode up the road to meet Optimus.

"I hope I'm not disrupting the training session, sir," Prowl said as he came to a stop in front of the Autobot leader. His voice, while apologetic, had the distinct air of their being something important that he needed to tell Optimus immediately.

"No, we have just finished. What is it, Prowl? Is something wrong?"

Prowl shrugged, the expression on his faceplate concerned. "It's hard to say, sir. Scattershot wishes to speak with you again as soon as possible."

Optimus regarded this news with interest. Scattershot hadn't really spoken to anyone after the Prime had the discussion with him regarding what the former Decepticon's options were, stating that he had needed time to think over what he had been told. The fact that he wanted to speak to the Autobot leader again could very possibly signify that he had either decided to join the Autobots, or that he simply had more questions that he wanted answered.

"I see." Optimus resumed walking, Prowl falling into step beside him and the others following as the group resumed their way to the main hangar. "Did he say what it is he wishes to speak with me about?"

"He didn't say, no."

"Well, it might be important," Optimus mused.

Prowl gave him a sideways glance. "Do you think he could want tell us what Cyclonus is planning?"

"Perhaps. But if it is not, it does not matter." At the Security Officer's incredulous look, he continued. "Yes, Prowl, I know that we need to know what is going on, but if Scattershot has no desire to tell us what that is, we will not force him to do so. It is not the Autobot way, and I want him to understand that-no doubt he still somewhat expects us to try to force information out of him. Regardless of what he has chosen to tell us now, I will listen to him just the same. He is beginning to trust us, and I will not destroy that trust by forcing him to do something that he does not want to do."

Prowl still didn't look completely convinced at avoiding getting Scattershot to share what he knew about Cyclonus's plans, but he nodded, accepting the Prime's words anyway. Optimus was right. It was not the Autobot way to force someone to do something against their will. Scattershot did seem like he was starting to open up to the Autobots, and Prowl had noticed that the former Decepticon did seem to trust them, as well, if only a little.

Yes, Optimus was right. Better to let Scattershot come to terms with things on his own. No good ever came of forcing an issue, anyway.

* * *

><p>Scattershot still felt nervous around Optimus Prime, and as a result he still felt a little hesitant about speaking with him. But the time he had spent since the last conversation with the Autobot leader, thinking over what he had been told, had caused something to finally click in his processor. Not from the more recent conversation, no, from the first one he'd had with Optimus, when the Prime had come to him asking for help in finding the Decepticon's temporary base.<p>

_We were all on the same side, once._ That was what the Prime had told him that night.

He had told Optimus that he was too young to remember that and hadn't given it much thought at the time, as doing so gave him a bad processor ache. But after being more or less alone with his thoughts the past few days, he'd gone back to considering it, despite the ache it created in his processor, and, by doing so, he had realized that, while he_ was_ too young to remember the days before the war, he had _not_ been a Decepticon his entire life. That had been so long ago he'd forgotten all about it, but the days he spent with the Autobots had allowed him to force those memories to the surface again, and he now knew the harsh, painful truth about his past.

And he wanted to tell Optimus about what he had finally remembered. He didn't know why, exactly, but he had a feeling that if he told the Autobot leader what had happened to him, how he had ended up a Decepticon in the first place, it might finally answer the question of whether or not he could be able to defect to the Autobots.

Scattershot turned his attention to the door to his room as it opened and Optimus Prime strode in, accompanied by Prowl and the paranoid mech named Red Alert. The orange armored mech vented as he gathered his courage to tell them what he now remembered.

And maybe, once this was over, he would have a family again.

* * *

><p>"Any idea how much longer this is gonna take, guys?" Wheelie asked, for what seemed to be about the hundredth time that hour.<p>

"As long as it needs to," Computron replied, also for what seemed to be the hundredth time. The little black and silver mech was perched on the control console of Teletraan-I, next to Brains, who was busy going through the process of purging the virus from the system. "You can't rush this sort of thing, Wheelie. We'd be risking permanent system damage to Teletraan-I if we did."

The repair group had been working extra hard for the past several hours, wanting to get the job done that day if they could. Optimus Prime had checked in on them about an hour ago, asking them how far along they were in purging the virus, and, once he had been told, had informed them that he would be visiting with Scattershot and, if the repairs finished soon, for them to come to the room the former Decepticon was being held in and report on what had been taken by the Decepticons. After the Prime had left, Wheelie, bored of simply waiting for the purging of the virus to finish, had begun to pester Computron about how much longer the whole thing was going to take.

"Not too much longer," Brains muttered, optics tracking the rapid flow of data that scrolled by on the screen. "Just a minute or two, don't worry."

"And once it's done, we'll finally be able to find out what those Decepticons were so desperate to get their hands on," Mirage added from where he was leaning against the wall, waiting both for the final purgings to be done and staying nearby in case he was needed by the three smaller mechs for anything.

Computron nodded. "Exactly. I'll have to access to computer's history to find out what files were last viewed. That will tell us everything we need to know, and…"

A cry of triumph from Brains cut off anything else Computron might have been planning to say. "Finished!"

Computron turned his attention back to the screen quickly as Brains shut down the system and rebooted it. He was aware that Mirage, Brains, and Wheelie were all watching the screen as intently as he was himself, waiting to see what would happen. It all hinged on whether or not Teletraan-I would successfully come back on. If they had done their work correctly, it wouldn't be a problem, but…

Teletraan-I's screen lit up in its familiar green glow, the combination of white Cybertronian glyphs and letters written in human languages filled the screen. Cheering filled the room. Computron and Brains shook hands in triumph to Wheelie's exclamation of "I know I've said this before, but you two are geniuses!"

Mirage smiled in satisfaction. "Well done!"

"Good job to all _four_ of us, Mirage," Computron corrected as he began to search through the system for the recently accessed data that would tell them what had been taken. "Don't short yourself on credit. You helped, too. Aha! Here it is. Okay, what it was Howlback took…"

Silence filled the room as Computron stared at the information he had pulled up, disbelief and mounting horror suddenly evident on his faceplate as he finished looking over the file that had been stolen. Finally, he found his voice again. "Primus, no, not…"

The celebratory air that had filled the room died immediately at the small mech's words and vocal tone. From his position on the floor, Wheelie craned his neck up to see what it was Computron had learned, but couldn't. "What is it?" The blue mech asked in concern. "Brains, what's been taken?"

Brains was shaking his head as he also stared at the information, his face becoming disbelieving and scared as well. "Not good, not good, not good!"

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Wheelie yelled from the floor as Mirage hurriedly came over to read the information that had upset Computron and Brains.

Mirage jerked back at what he saw. "Questo è male!" He exclaimed in Italian. "No, we can't let them do it! But how could they possibly...Someone needs to go tell Prime, now!"

"I'll go!" Computron launched himself off Teletraan-I's controls and flew out of the room as fast as he could.

Irritated, Wheelie opened his mouth to demand answers again, but he was interrupted by Mirage.

"Wheelie, they found where Megatron's remains are being kept."

Wheelie folded his arms, looking disgruntled at having to wait for the answer to what had upset everyone. "So?"

"Don't you remember what happened the last time the Decepticons discovered where the Autobots were holding the remains of their leader?"

The realization of just what the implications of what the Decepticons had learned hit Wheelie at the red mech's words, and his mouth dropped open in horror.

"Primus, they're going to revive Megatron!"


	17. Scattershot's Tale

**A/N**_**:**__ I apologize for the long Author's note, but I have some things to say. First off: For those of you reading this on , there was an issue of some sort with the previous chapter-Discovery-which caused the chapter to not show up on the site until one full day after it was initially updated. As a result the story was pushed down on the listings under Transformers until it was off the first page quicker than it should have been. So, if you missed it, I recommend backtracking and reading it, otherwise the beginning and end of this chapter won't make any sense._

_For the most part this takes place before, during, and slightly after the time in the previous chapter where the last repairs are made on Teletraan-I. Bit of a POV exercise as well, as I'm telling the flashbacks contained in this chapter from Scattershot's perspective, just like I did with Firestorm in his flashback chapter. It's a shorter chapter, mainly because it serves as a lead-in to future events._

_It was pointed out to me last chapter that Bumblebee's been getting a lot of focus in this story, maybe too much. Bumblebee and Optimus Prime are supposed to be the main Autobot characters in the story, and yes, I admit I've written more for Bee than Prime. Maybe it's because I'm biased towards Bee because he's my favorite, but I find he's easier to write than Optimus. I also had to get the whole issue with Blaster being traumatized more or less resolved, so Bumblebee and his family, along with Ratchet to a lesser extent, had to hold the spotlight for a while. Bumblebee's worries and fears about what the Autobots have to do needed to be dealt with, as well. They're still there, but he's been put at ease for the time being. They'll be resolved fully later on._

_The next two chapters will be Optimus-centric, but first, we need to hear what Scattershot has to say. I did notice I made a mistake in the second chapter. When Cyclonus announces that the Decepticons need to get hold of Megatron's remains, he's only supposed to be telling Scourge and Salvo about it, but in what's written he tells everyone. I'll change it later (there's another editing session coming up) but for now just keep in mind that Scattershot has no idea what it was Howlback took from Teletraan-I._

_Memory-Lock is something I came up with before Dark of the Moon came out. It was originally for a Transformers story I plan on writing sometime in the future, where I needed a Cybertronian equivalent to amnesia. In its most severe form, Memory-Lock is the same as total memory loss, but the mildest form is simply repressed memories and is considered different from true Memory-Lock. Eh, Ratchet could explain it better. You'll see what I mean in this chapter. But remember that __**MEMORY-LOCK IS EXTREMELY RARE**__. Just because a Cybertronian experienced something terrible does not mean they will be afflicted by it. __**IF **__that were the case, every Autobot would be wandering around suffering from amnesia right now._

_Still not too sure about where the Autobots would stash Megatron. Any ideas? Any at all?_

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Sixteen: Scattershot's Tale**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 6,955**

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><p>SCATTERSHOT FIDGETED NERVOUSLY UNDER THE COMBINED GAZE OF Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Red Alert. While he was the one who had asked to speak with them-no, that wasn't true, he had really only wanted to speak with Optimus Prime, but he knew that maybe things would go over better if the others listened as well so he didn't really have a problem about Prowl and Red Alert being there-but that didn't change the fact that he still felt uneasy in the presence of the Autobots as a whole.<p>

"I just asked to speak with you, sir," He couldn't help saying to Optimus as the door to the room shut behind Red Alert. While it _was_ true that he didn't mind if the others heard what he had to say, he hadn't been around this many Autobots very often during his time with them and their presence was making him feel more that a little on edge. Scattershot couldn't help feeling nervous, but he knew he really didn't have a reason to be, not exactly. Optimus and Prowl had been nice to him, treating him with respect that he didn't really think he deserved, and even though he'd been unsure about Red Alert due to his constant paranoid attitude, he _was_ starting to get used to it. Every other Autobot he had met hadn't trusted him completely, but most of them did seem to be willing to more or less give him a chance. By now he knew that they wouldn't hurt him, but still…

"Why don't you want to tell us, too?" Red Alert asked before Optimus could respond, looking over Scattershot with suspicion showing clearly in his optics. "Is it something that-"

"Red Alert." Optimus's voice was stern as he cut off the other mech's tirade. While the Prime knew that Red Alert did not mean any harm with his words, it was obvious that his paranoia wasn't helping Scattershot's confidence at all. "That is quite enough."

"If you don't want us to be in here, we can leave," Prowl assured the orange-armored mech. "You've been honest with us so far and there's no reason to think otherwise that I can see yet." He cast a pointed look at Red Alert at those last few words, who closed his mouth with yet another suspicious glance in Scattershot's direction.

"It's okay," Scattershot replied hurriedly. "You can listen. I just wasn't sure…I mean…" He hesitated briefly before continuing. "I think it might be better if you hear it, too. Once you hear what I have to say, maybe…maybe, you won't mistrust me anymore."

"And what is it that you wish to tell us?" Optimus questioned, his voice kind and encouraging.

"Well, I've…I've been thinking about everything you've told me since I…since I've stayed here. About how Autobots and Decepticons were once on the same side, and how I didn't have to be a Decepticon if I didn't want to be," Scattershot said quietly, his voice still nervous. "Ever since you Autobots first, um, took me prisoner, you've treated me better than the other Decepticons ever did. It reminded me of something from when I was a Youngling. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't remember exactly what it was, though. It was like something was blocking my memories and I couldn't get around it, and if I tried to anyway I got a bad processor ache."

There was a quiet "Ah" of understanding from Prowl. Scattershot turned his head slightly in the Security Officer's direction, confusion evident on his faceplate. How could Prowl understand what he said he was feeling?

"You know what I'm talking about?"

At a nod from Optimus, Prowl stepped forward, looking at the younger mech with a mixture of sympathy and pity. "Yes, I do. I've had to deal with many things, being the Autobots' Second-in-Command as well as Security Officer. Ratchet knows more about this than I do as I'm no medic, but I saw enough of it myself to be able to recognize the symptoms when I see them or hear them described. What you say you felt whenever you tried to remember back to a certain point in your life can only mean one thing." He shook his head. "You are suffering from a mild form of Memory-Lock."

Scattershot rubbed his helm nervously. "Memory-Lock, sir?"

"I know a bit more about it, as I read about scattered cases of it when I was a Youngling working in the Hall of Records. Memory-Lock," Optimus said gravely, continuing where Prowl left off, "Happens every once in a great while when a Cybertronian goes through a very traumatic event and has no way to deal with it. It causes the memories of whatever event caused the trauma to be sealed off, preventing the Cybertronian from accessing them. Any form of the condition is terrible, but some are worse than others. In severe cases, all memories will be blocked and the Cybertronian affected will be unable to remember anything about his or her life. The block on the memories can fade on its own over time or the Cybertronian affected will see or hear something that causes the lock to come undone sooner. It most commonly affects Younglings, as they are more likely to have trouble dealing with certain events. And the younger they are, they more susceptible they are to it happening."

"Wait a minute," Red Alert interrupted, looking from Optimus, to Prowl, to Scattershot, then back again. The suspicion he had been directing towards the orange-armored mech was gone, replaced with honest confusion. "If this Memory-Lock happens to Cybertronians who experience traumatic events, then why didn't Blaster get it when he was kidnapped by the Decepticons? And for that matter, why didn't Bumblebee get it after Tyger Pax, or-"

"Blaster is a Sparkling," Optimus reminded the red mech patiently. "Like all Sparklings, his processor is not fully developed and is therefore unable to bring forth the coding that initiates Memory-Lock. By the time he is old enough for such a thing to be possible, he will in all likelihood have moved on from what happened to him, and in any case his family is there to help him recover, which will make the very slight chance that it would ever happen to him once it is able even more slim. And as for Bumblebee, yes, Memory-Lock is more common in Younglings, but it is still incredibly rare, and at the time of Tyger Pax, he was past the age where it is most likely to happen in Younglings. Bumblebee also had his friends and adopted family to turn to for help after Tyger Pax, and he still has others to depend on whenever he still feels troubled by Tyger Pax and other, more recent events. That is most likely why the odds of acquiring the condition versus not becoming a victim of it fell in his favor. Memory-Lock is a terrible thing and, despite its rarity, Bumblebee is very lucky to have not experienced it." At those words, the Prime looked back at Scattershot in sympathy.

Red Alert's attention shifted to Scattershot once again as the Prime finished his explanation. There was no more suspicion or confusion in his optics now. In their place was understanding and…maybe pity? Scattershot wasn't too sure, but that was what it looked like to him.

Optimus turned back to Scattershot, the same sympathy that the other two mechs had directed towards him still showing in the Prime's optics as well. "Something terrible must have happened to you when you were young."

"Something did," Scattershot whispered. Primus, just because he finally remembered what he had lost for so long didn't mean it was going to be easy to share. It was hard enough remembering it himself. "I remember now. I remember _everything_. You," He looked nervously up at Optimus before looking at Prowl and then Red Alert, "All of you, helped me to remember. What you told me, the way you treated me, it reminded me of the way things were _before_."

Scattershot shifted nervously as he watched as Prowl, Red Alert, and Optimus exchanged glances with each other at his last statement.

"Before what, Scattershot?" Optimus asked, voicing the question that all three Autobots present had in their processors.

"I'll tell you everything that happened. But you have to promise not to stop or interrupt me until I finish, because if I stop I don't think I'll be able to start talking about it again." The orange mech shuttered his optics for a long moment, steeling himself to say what needed to be said. Finally, he unshuttered his optics again and looked at the three Autobots. His voice was heavy with remembered pain and fear as he finally replied to Optimus's question.

"The Youth Sectors…I was there when they were attacked."

* * *

><p><em>My creators agreed with the Autobots' values during the war, but despite being trained soldiers they never actually took sides with them. I was their only Youngling, so they chose to stay out of the fighting so that nothing would happen to them and leave me all alone. I didn't have any other living relatives to take care of me. We used to live somewhere else-I don't remember where-but the fighting came to close to our home so we left to find a place we could stay without having to worry about being attacked. The Youth Sectors were labeled as being "off-limits" to both sides in the war, so they became a safe place for anyone who didn't want to fight, so my creators took me to live in the Youth Sectors with the other neutral families. It was around the time I would have been old enough to start there, too, so I wasn't going to just be in hiding with my family. <em>

_I didn't really know too much about the war. The mentors at the Youth Sectors didn't talk about it in front of us Younglings, but everyone still knew it was happening, especially the older Younglings that were there at the time. I knew that the war was the reason we'd moved there in the first place, and I remember asking my creators to tell me why the mentors weren't telling us about it. I didn't like the idea of fighting at all-especially when innocent Cybertronians were getting hurt too-and while I couldn't understand why it was happening, I knew that the Autobots were fighting to keep everyone safe, and I just couldn't understand why the mentors wouldn't even tell us that much._

"_Why won't the mentors talk about the war?" I asked one day, after my lessons had finished and I was back in the quarters my family lived in. We'd been living in the Youth Sectors for a long time at that point and I was old enough by then to understand what the war was about. "We all know it's happening, but whenever we ask they tell us we're too young to worry about it. They're treating us like the Hatchlings and Sparklings in the next building over, not telling us. They're not old enough to understand, but we are. I am."_

"_Some of your fellow students here are barely older than Sparklings," My mother reminded me._

"_But I'm not."_

"_I know you're not, and that's why your father and I tell you what we know, but most of the families who live here came to get away from the war. That is why no one wants to talk about it; we only tell you because you are old enough to understand and we know that you won't tell the younger ones about it. There are some who would probably get scared if they knew just what was going on outside the walls of the Youth Sectors. The war isn't going very well for the Autobots at the moment." _

"_Why? Is it because they lost the Ark?" I frowned. That wasn't recent enough to be the cause of the trouble, was it? "But that happened a long time ago, back when I was still a Sparkling. I remember hearing you talk about it." _

"_Yes, but they never really recovered from that. They're being driven back towards Iacon."_

"_They'll be able to defend themselves once they're in Iacon, though, right?" I asked. I knew that Iacon was a big city, and full of hiding places. I'd never been there but I'd learned all about it in my studies. If the Autobots were to position themselves in certain areas in the city, they should be able to drive off any attackers with no trouble at all._

"_We can only hope so. I try not to think about what life will be like on Cybertron if the Decepticons win." She looked at me sadly. "Especially for you."_

_Things were quiet for a while, but knowing how worried my mother-both of my creators, actually-were about what would happen to me over what would happen to them made me angry at the fact that there was even a war in the first place. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore._

"_This whole war is stupid!" I blurted out. "Why can't both sides just sit down and talk out a solution? There has to be a way to make things right without fighting!"_

"_Optimus Prime has tried, many times, to get Megatron to see reason, but it never works." She shook her head. "Megatron would rather fight than try to find a reasonable solution like Optimus wants."_

_I vented in frustration. "I wish I could help."_

_She gave me a hug. "You can help by finishing your studies so that, when the war ends, you'll be able to help rebuild Cybertron alongside everyone else."_

"_When the Autobots win?" I asked her._

_She gave me a sad smile and hugged me tighter. "Yes. When the Autobots win."_

* * *

><p><em>My family had moved to the Youth Sectors for protection, knowing that the Autobots' values would prevent them from involving those who lived there in the fight, and that the Decepticons knew it would be a bad decision to attack the only place left that contained future generations of Cybertronians-potential Decepticon soldiers, in their processors, is what my father told me-so it was an unspoken rule that both sides would not touch the Youth Sectors. We were safe.<em>

_So when the attack came, no one was expecting it._

_I came out of recharge to the sounds of alarms going off and distant explosions. "What's going on?" I asked my father groggily when he came rushing into my room, a look of panic on his faceplate._

"_We're being attacked. Quick, get up and come with me."_

_The urgency in my father's voice woke me up fully, but he didn't wait for me to get off of my berth. He grabbed my hand and rushed me to the room he shared with my mother, opening the storage closet and placing me inside._

"_Stay in here, and be quiet, understand?" He gave me a strict look, but I could see that he was really worried, and it scared me. "I'll come back for you, but stay here. Promise me that no matter what you hear outside, you'll stay in here."_

"_O-okay," I stammered. I was really scared now. _

_He offered me a smile and then shut the door, leaving me in the dark. I could hear him running from our quarters, and then the only sounds were the wailing alarms and the explosions…which were getting closer._

_I tried to calm myself down by counting the number of explosions I heard, telling myself that most of them were probably being fired from our side, not by whoever was attacking the Youth Sectors. But why would anyone attack the Youth Sectors? They were supposed to be off-limits! I knew the Autobots wouldn't do it, so it had to be the Decepticons. _

_That thought made me feel worse, not better._

_I don't know how long I sat in that dark closet, but when the door finally opened, I jumped up, expecting it to be both of my creators, or at least my father, coming to get me to tell me everything was fine again._

"_What ha-"_

_I was grabbed roughly by my left arm and jerked out of the closet into the main room and into the air, the green-armored mech who had grabbed me smirking at me with triumph in his red optics. _

"_Well, well, well, look what we found here, Storm Surge! A runty Youngling who thought he could hide from us." He shook me, and my fear slowly started to give way to anger._

"_Stop showing off, Gunbarrel," The smaller, blue-gray-armored Decepticon said in an almost bored-sounding voice. "Just hurry up and kill him like you did the others so we can get back to looking for more. It's hard work finding all the Younglings. Those who got to raid the other buildings had it easy; Sparklings and Hatchlings can't hide or get away as easily as Younglings can. I'd much rather being over there killing them instead."_

"_You killed the Hatchlings and Sparklings?" I cried in disbelief. "That's wrong! They can't defend themselves!"_

"_Exactly," The Decepticon named Gunbarrel told me smugly, swinging his arm cannon around to face me. "That's why it's such an easy job."_

_I was really angry now. How could they talk about killing Hatchlings and Sparklings like it was nothing? Well, I wasn't going to let them get me that easily. I started to wriggle madly, twisting and pulling to get away as I kept hitting the hand Gunbarrel was using to hold me with using my free hand._

"_Let me go!" I pulled hard. "LET ME GO!"_

_To my surprise, Gunbarrel lowered his cannon and considered me. Apparently coming to some conclusion, he turned to Storm Surge. "Pretty lively one, here. Think he'll do? Megatron did say to take any Younglings who looked strong or had fighting spirit."_

_Storm Surge looked over me. He still looked unimpressed and bored. "He doesn't look like anything special to me, but if you think he'll turn out, why not."_

_I had no idea what they were talking about, but I didn't like the sound of it anyway. Gunbarrel started dragging me in the direction of the door that lead out into the main hall of the building our quarters were in. I tried to resist, but he was bigger and stronger than I was, and there was nothing I could do. Each struggle I made seemed only to make him even more sure that I was whatever he had been looking for. I was getting scared again. What were they going to do to me?_

_Just as the two Decepticons were about to open the door and take me away from my home, it opened. My creators were standing there. When they saw the large Decepticon who was attempting to take me away, they looked shocked, and then, just like I had, quickly became angry. I felt hopeful. My creators were here now. They knew how to fight. Everything would be okay now that they were here._

_My father had a plasma rifle. I'd never seen him use it, but I knew that he could. He had it now, and leveled it at Gunbarrel, taking care to aim so that he wouldn't hit me when he fired._

"_Let go of our Youngling!" He shouted angrily, firing the rifle at Gunbarrel. The shot struck the Decepticon in the shoulder, but it ricocheted off harmlessly. He didn't even flinch._

_Storm Surge suddenly leaped from behind Gunbarrel. He'd been out of sight behind the larger Decepticon and caught both of my creators by surprise. He struck my father, knocking the plasma rifle out of his hands. Storm Surge snatched the rifle up and backed off with it before my father could retrieve it._

_I tried to get away again-if I could just get to my creators maybe we'd all be able to come up with something that would distract the Decepticons long enough for us to get away-but Gunbarrel seemed to know what I was trying to do and gripped my arm even tighter, leveling his arm cannon at my creators. _

"_You don't have a Youngling anymore, fools. He belongs to the Decepticons now."_

_I knew what was about to happen and screamed. "NO!"_

_Gunbarrel fired._

_My…my creators were…were…_

* * *

><p>Despite his resolve to keep talking no matter what, Scattershot found himself unable to continue, lapsing into silence, wrapping his arms around himself as he stared unseeingly at the floor. He knew that he should be embarrassed at such Youngling-like behavior, but he was too upset at the moment to care. Remembering the violent way his creators were killed was awful, but saying it out loud seemed to make it ten times worse. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, meeting the sympathetic gaze of Optimus Prime.<p>

"I cannot imagine how awful that must have been for you, Scattershot. Or how painful it is for you to remember." The Prime's voice was every bit as sympathetic as the look in his optics.

"It wasn't just that, sir," Scattershot said miserably. "That was the worst part, but…but…I saw the others that they had killed, too…when they took me away. The other Younglings and everyone else. It was horrible."

Silence filled the room for a long moment. It was obvious to the three Autobots present that Scattershot was struggling to come to terms with his resurfaced memories in an effort to be able to continue speaking with them. Optimus Prime silently offered encouragement and comfort by keeping a friendly hand on the former Decepticon's shoulder. Finally, the orange-armored mech spoke up again.

"After that, I think I went into stasis from shock or something, I don't really know. But when I came online again, I had a bad processor ache and couldn't remember what I had seen. What happened to my creators. Every time I tried, my processor would hurt more. The constant pain went away after a while but it was really bad at first." He looked at the Autobots hesitantly. "Was that the Memory-Lock?"

"Yes. Memory-Lock being initiated forces the victim into stasis while the memories are blocked off," Optimus replied, his voice still full of sympathy as he lowered his hand from Scattershot's shoulder. "You were unable to deal with the knowledge of what had happened to your creators, in addition to what you saw outside, so your processor activated the Memory-Lock coding to eliminate the problem before you fell too deeply into shock. The constant pain you felt was due to the lock being relatively new."

Scattershot shook his head, trying to shove aside the awful feelings and failing miserably at it. "I wish I had remembered what happened, even though I probably would've been worse off knowing it all along than I am by remembering it now. I think it's the reason the Decepticons were able to get to me so easily."

* * *

><p><em>The Decepticons took me to a dark, scary-looking city surrounded by smelting pools. I found out later it was the Decepticon Capital, Kaon. Not only that, but apparently it was going to be my new home.<br>_

_I'd been in stasis for a while, but when the Decepticons dumped me on a large pathway, I woke up to a pounding ache in my processor along with the pain from hitting the ground. I was groggy, but I forced myself to look around. I had no idea where I was and didn't remember being taken away from my home, but there were other Younglings there, too. They all looked just as confused and afraid as I was. A few of the younger ones were even crying for their creators. Hearing them cry made me wonder why my creators hadn't stopped me from being taken. Something bothered me when I thought about them, but I didn't know why, and it made my processor hurt even more._

_All of a sudden, a large Decepticon loomed out of the shadows, accompanied by several others. At first, I thought it was Megatron, but when he spoke, it became clear that he wasn't._

"_My name is Shockwave," He announced in a cold, even voice. I noticed that he only had one optic. I shivered. For some reason it really bothered me. Had he lost both of his optics and had them replaced with just one?_

"_You have all been saved. You were being held prisoner in the Youth Sectors by the Autobots. They would have destroyed you, but our leader, the Decepticon leader…your new leader, Megatron, wanted you to be saved. You have all been rescued and brought here. Your creators abandoned you to be killed by the Autobots." _

_That's not true, I thought, feeling dazed. My creators love me. They'd never abandon me or leave me to die, not ever. And the Autobots aren't like that…are they? I couldn't remember._

_Shockwave was still talking while I was thinking over what he had already told us. "And you would have been, had we Decepticons not intervened."_

"_That's a lie!" A voice rang out._

_I turned, feeling surprised. Who said that? They must be very brave to stand up to a scary Decepticon like Shockwave._

_The speaker was standing slightly behind me. He was a Youngling who was older than me, probably a last year student from the Youth Sectors. He was one of the Cybertronians who had a beast form, and looked like an overly large Cyber-Cat with dark gray and silver armor. Like Shockwave, he only had one optic, but his was a light bluish-purple in color and not as menacing as Shockwave's. The Youngling's tail was lashing angrily. I noticed that he was standing protectively over a smaller beast form mech with wings; the small mech looked just as scared of Shockwave as I was._

_The Youngling glared up at Shockwave. "You didn't save us," He snarled. "I saw you. We all saw you! You attacked us! You killed our creators, mentors, and guardians! You're the ones who are trying to get us killed, not the Autobots!"_

_At those words, the other Younglings began to yell and talk at once. The younger ones began crying again. Shockwave glared at the one who had spoken out, but another mech, one with Silver armor, was looking at him with interest._

_My creators aren't dead! You're wrong, I thought, but thinking about my creators-what had happened to them?-made my processor throb with pain again. _

_The Youngling opened his mouth to protest again, but the winged Youngling grabbed his leg and looked up at him, shaking his head._

"_Ravage," The smaller mech pleaded fearfully. "Please, don't, they'll hurt us."_

_Before Ravage could reply, Shockwave spoke up again, the tone of his voice frightening everyone into silence._

"_Your reasoning and outcry is illogical, Youngling. You have all been lied to-the Autobots are your enemies, and your creators have abandoned you and will not come looking for you; they don't care about what happens to you anymore. Do not worry, Megatron will show every one of you the truth. And once you know what the truth is, you will all be glad to offer your service to the Decepticon cause. And you will, for today you will all begin you battle training."_

_Ravage didn't say anything to that, but he glared mutinously at Shockwave again._

_As Shockwave began issuing orders to the other Decepticons, I looked at Ravage in awe._

"_You called him a liar," I whispered in admiration. "He could crush all of us, and you called him a liar. You're brave."_

_Ravage shrugged. "Someone had to tell the truth." He flicked his tail dismissively at the Decepticons coming towards us now. "They certainly weren't going to do it."_

_I tried to keep Ravage and his smaller friend in sight as some of the other Decepticons began to herd us into one of the gloomy looking buildings off to one side of the path. Ravage was older than me and seemed to know more about what was going on than I did. Enough to make Shockwave angry and the silver one interested. Maybe he could tell me what had happened at the Youth Sectors since I couldn't remember myself._

_But the silver mech came forward and took both Ravage and the smaller mech that was with him away from the rest of us. I saw that a few other Younglings were also taken from the main group and sent with the silver mech as well._

_I didn't see Ravage again for a very long time, and when I did, I had forgotten all about what it was I had wanted to ask him in the first place. I don't think he would have told me anyway._

_He'd changed too much._

_We all did._

* * *

><p><em>Battle Training went badly for me.<em>

_Training wasn't even a good name for what the Decepticons made us do. I remember learning that, in the days before the war, there were gladiatorial fights in arenas called "pits" in Kaon, and Megatron actually came from one of those pits. Well, I learned first-hand what went on in those pits, because the Decepticon version of "training" involved throwing several of us Younglings into one of the arenas and forcing us to fight each other. At first, none of us would fight. But Shockwave and some of the others had very painful ways to persuade us to do otherwise, so, in the end, we did what they wanted._

_We were forced to fight-sometimes one on one, group against group, or, if the Decepticons "training" us were feeling really unfair, one against a group. That was how they picked out who would be the best fighters. If you did well, you were likely to be high-ranked. If you didn't, well, you weren't really worth much. The fights went on until only one was left standing. The longer we were there, the worse the fighting got, until every now and then a Youngling would die in the pits. It was awful, and I hated it. Somehow I managed to hang on, but I have no idea how._

_Megatron didn't come to oversee our training very much, and left it in the hands of the others. I think a lot more of us would have died if he'd been in charge. He liked clear winners and didn't think the losers in a fight deserved to live._

_Most of the other Younglings-those who were all older than I was, anyway-were really good at fighting, even in the awful conditions in the pits. But I had never even cared about that sort of thing and had never taken a combat class at the Youth Sectors. Studying was what I was good at-but the Decepticons didn't want that. They wanted fighters, and I was awful. I couldn't hit anything with a weapon, nothing at all. _

_Since I couldn't fight, I was pulled from the pits and given one of the lowest ranks possible. I was sent on unimportant raids and missions where it didn't matter that I was useless. The other Decepticons kicked me around and bullied me. I did have a few friends; those who seemed to be just as unskilled as me and had also been lobbed into the "useless" group. _

_As I grew, the few memories I still had of my creators and of life before the Youth Sectors attack faded away until the only things I could clearly remember were being with the Decepticons. My creators never came for me, so I began to believe what Shockwave had told us; that they never cared in the first place. It felt wrong to believe that, but they didn't come, so I guessed it meant that Shockwave was right. My Younglinghood was okay in a few places because of my friends, but for the most part it was nothing short of miserable. I lost whatever confidence I had before. It's kind of hard to keep it when older Decepticons are constantly bullying and telling you how weak and useless you are._

_I still hated the idea of fighting and didn't like doing it. I hated the fact that the Decepticons killed innocent Cybertronians, and, once I'd come to Earth with some others much later on, humans._

_But it was all I knew anymore, and all I could remember. Then, one day, just a little while before I was sent to Earth, I saw something that made me even more upset about the Decepticon way of life._

_Shockwave had somehow developed a way to create Hatchlings without having two Creators. Megatron was desperate to create a large army, so he ordered a…well, mass production of Hatchlings. They were kept under guard by Decepticons that were hand-picked by Shockwave to monitor their progress and take 'care' of them when they hatched. As one of the lowest-ranked soldiers I was forced to supply the guards with whatever they needed, and I was there when one of the last…"hatchings"…happened. Both guards were watching the Hatchling closely as it moved around inside its Energon Egg Sack._

_I staggered up to the two guards, holding a crate full of metal scraps and Energon slivers. I was about to ask them where they wanted me to put it, but before I could get the words out, one of the guards spoke up._

"_This one isn't going anywhere. At this rate, it'll never hatch."_

"_What do you think?" The second guard asked. "Breach it?"_

"_Might as well." The first guard sounded bored. _

_Without another word the second guard extended a blade from his arm and sliced through the thin wall of the egg sack, causing the Hatchling to tumble out and fall to the ground. My mouth dropped open at that. I'd never finished my studies since I was taken from the Youth Sectors early, but even I knew that Hatchlings who were forced from their Energon sacks early, or 'breached', usually died. If they did manage to live, though, they ended up very small and weak compared to Hatchlings who went the full time before they hatched. I couldn't believe they'd done something so awful and didn't even seem to care that they had._

"_Looks like a mech," one Guard commented._

"_Who cares?" The other snorted. "It's just another annoying mouth to feed. It's probably going to die anyway. I just contacted Starscream; he'll be here soon to get it and take it to the others."_

_The Hatchling was still on the ground, feebly moving its head around and making quiet cries, not understanding what had happened to it. Neither guard made a move to pick it up. I felt sick. The Hatchling obviously needed comfort and feeding, but no one was going to give it to it here. It would have been better if it had died inside the egg sack, like some of the others had. At least then, it wouldn't have been neglected._

_Even though I knew I would get in trouble, I wanted to pick up the Hatchling, so at the very least it wouldn't have to be on the hard ground anymore. But before I could put the crate I still held down so that I could pick the Hatchling up, I was shoved roughly to one side as Starscream pushed his way past me, picked the Hatchling up off the ground without bothering to be gentle, and carried it out of the room._

_I watched him go, thinking hard. Megatron insisted that the Hatchlings were needed, but they were all treated as worthless. Just like me. Were they going to be forced to kill the innocent when they grew up?_

_Something was really wrong with the way our faction worked, I realized then, more than I had before. But being a Decepticon was all I could properly remember. I didn't like it, but it was all I knew._

_I wished it wasn't._

* * *

><p>"I know now that I didn't belong there, just like that Hatchling. I never did." Scattershot looked down as he finished speaking, and silence once again fell over the gathering of Cybertronians in the room. The orange-armored mech knew that they were waiting for him to continue speaking, giving him the time he needed to gather his thoughts again. But he was finished telling them what he had felt he needed to.<p>

Well, except for one more thing, but it was a question. A request, really. He'd been thinking over it more than ever since his memories had returned, and now, he finally realized that it _would_ be the right thing for him to do.

He shifted nervously for a while, trying to summon the confidence he'd had as a Youngling, but not quite succeeding. After a minute, however, he shook his head and straightened, holding his hands behind his back as he looked Optimus Prime straight in the optics.

"When you first spoke to me, after I was first brought here, you told me that I didn't have to be a Decepticon if I didn't want to. And a few days ago, you told me there was a place for me with the Autobots, if I wanted it." He faltered slightly, then continued. "I don't know how useful I'll be, but…I'd…I'd like to join the Autobots. If you'll have me, sir."

The Prime looked back at him. When he responded to the former Decepticon's request, his voice was kind. "I told you that if you truly wished to become an Autobot, we would allow you to join us, and welcome you to our ranks. Of course we will have you."

Surprise flickered in Scattershot's optics. Even though he knew the Prime was being sincere, he couldn't believe it. He'd just admitted to being raised to take innocent lives-even though he'd never actually done so-and, even though he had hated it, he had never once tried to get away from the Decepticons. He'd expected Optimus to tell him he couldn't join after all. And here Optimus was, telling him that he not only _could_ he join, but that he was _welcomed,_ and even Prowl and Red Alert-_Red Alert_, the mech who had been suspicious of him from the very beginning-were nodding in agreement with the Prime's statement.

"But…but…" Scattershot stammered, looking from Optimus, to Prowl, then Red Alert, and finally back to Optimus, "I spent almost my whole Younglinghood training to kill. I never did, but still, that's what I was taught to do. I knew it was wrong, but…I didn't try to leave it."

"You were lost," Optimus said simply, once again placing his hand on the younger mech's shoulder. "But you have found your way again."

Scattershot fell silent, considering the Prime's words for a few minutes before speaking up again. "What can I do to help?" If he was really going to be an Autobot, especially an Autobot that had no fighting skills, he needed to help them out in any way he could, starting now, even though he had no clue what he was naturally good at. Besides studying, anyway, but what good would that be in a battle?

Prowl answered before anyone else. "You've already helped us, Scattershot. But there is one thing you could possibly…" He looked to Optimus for permission and the Prime nodded for him to continue. "When the Decepticons attacked our base, one named Howlback stole information from the Autobot Network. Do you know what this information was?"

Scattershot felt a wave of disappointment at Prowl's question. The first thing he could do to help the Autobots as one of them, and it was something he didn't know. "No…I…I'm sorry. I don't know what it was." He frowned, trying to think of something that could help anyway. "I wasn't important enough to know, Cyclonus only trusts a few of the higher ranked Decepticons with information, and I was low-ranked and not one of them. But…he said that what it was we were after was going to 'give the Decepticons back our rightful power'." He looked at Prowl. "That's all I know, sir. I'm sorry."

"Hmm." Prowl looked both thoughtful and worried, turning back to Optimus. "There could be any number of things that refers to. But why would they need something specifically from the Autobot Network? Maybe they were trying to figure out how the network functioned so they could duplicate it and form something similar themselves? Stealing the schematics to build their own network so they could call for any surviving Decepticons to come aid them?"

Before Optimus could reply, the door to the room burst open and Computron came tumbling in, landing on the floor and hopping about in agitation.

"Sir! I'm sorry to interrupt, but we fixed Teletraan-I, and we found what they took from it and it was the worst possible thing that it could be-" The small Autobot was talking in a rush that rivaled the speed Red Alert spoke at when he was having one of his panic attacks.

"Computron, slow down, we can't understand you!" Prowl said firmly, cutting off the black and silver mech's tirade.

"Prowl is right," Optimus agreed, though he did not fail to notice that Computron still looked agitated and panicky, despite quieting himself. "What happened? Speak slowly."

"We don't have time to be slow, sir!" Computron cried in renewed agitation, stamping a foot down in frustration. He waved a wing in the direction of the door. "We have to do something right _now_! If we don't, everything's going to go straight to the Pit and we won't stand a chance!" He looked urgently up at the Prime. "The Decepticons know where Megatron's remains are and they're going to get them!"


	18. Race Against Time

**A/N**_**:**__ I'm sorry! I originally intended to get this chapter out much sooner, but a series of events that resulted in me going to the doctor twice prevented me from doing so. Long story short, I had a bad reaction to a lot of insect bites I received while camping three weeks ago, and ended up getting hives from them, I reacted so bad. Needless to say I was absolutely miserable, but I seem to be finally healing, so I can work on this story and all my other projects again._

_This is going to be another short, fast-paced chapter, as it makes way for a fight that will happen in the next chapter. I really don't have a set location in mind for where the Autobots stashed Megatron's remains, but I'm thinking that since the Decepticons would be expecting it to be some high-security place, it would make perfect sense for the Autobots to do the opposite. Right?_

_I also discovered another mistake in an earlier chapter; I mentioned that the Wreckers and the Autobots' new ship, the Axalon, were kept in one of the hangars on the base. However, THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY THE CASE. Said ship, Wreckers, and yes, Epps, are off in another location that we will visit later on. Like the other errors I've found, this will soon be fixed. So please keep that in mind before you wonder why the Wreckers don't go with the others to face down the Decepticons._

_That said, the story will once again be put on temporary hold after this. This is for several reasons: I want to take each chapter and edit/revise them once again, for one-I'll have Seventeen chapters plus the Prologue to go through, so of course it'll take time to get it right. Another is that I have a rather large art project to do that has to be finished by December. Lastly, I want to try to work on some of my other stories for a short while, as well as either finish the other one-shot tie-in fic for this story, or begin the first multi-chapter tie-in fic I have planned. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I AM ABANDONING THIS STORY. I am just taking a break to improve what's finished already and get ready for what comes next, as well as get some other stuff done. You'll like the end results, I promise. I fully intend to get back into the swing of this story sometime in December, so it's not like the hiatus will be TERRIBLY long._

_**UPDATE: This is a revised version of the chapter, with misspellings and other such things corrected, and slight changes to make the story flow better.**_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Seventeen: Race Against Time**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 6,747**

* * *

><p>DESPITE THE DISBELIEF AND MOUNTING HORROR OPTIMUS Prime felt at Computron's announcement, he wasted no time in calmly issuing instructions even as he began to head towards the room's exit; he knew that there was only one reason the Decepticons would try to get hold of Megatron's remains, and the Autobots couldn't let that happen again. "Computron, go and get all those Autobots and human soldiers able to fight at the moment together in the main hangar. Prowl, Red Alert, come with me. We have to move quickly if we hope to have even the slightest chance at heading off the Decepticons."<p>

At his orders, Computron nodded and turned around, taking off and quickly flying out of the room.

"Is there something I can do to help?" Scattershot asked, hurrying after Optimus and the two other Autobots. The orange mech knew that he wouldn't be of any use in a fight, but there had to be _some _way he could help the Autobots, seeing as that he was more or less one of them now.

Optimus paused for a brief moment to consider Scattershot. The former Decepticon did seem truly desperate to help, but, the orange mech's insistence that he could not fight aside, the Prime did not believe that it was a good idea to allow him to go with the others at the moment, even if there was a way he would be able to help outside of fighting if he went along. He had been marked for death by the other Decepticons and Optimus would not put Scattershot in a situation that would allow Salvo to carry out his threat. "You can stay here, Scattershot. Ratchet will want to make sure that you are experiencing no complications from coming out of Memory-Lock, and there is something very important that you can help him with. You can assist him in looking after the Sparklings."

Scattershot's optics widened in surprise at the amount of trust implied behind the task the Autobot leader had given him. He knew how important the Sparklings were to the Autobots and how seriously they took every aspect of raising them. Being trusted enough to be assigned to help look after them was something that he knew he couldn't take lightly. He could tell that this was also going to be a test of his sincerity in wanting to become an Autobot. He nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Sir," Red Alert began, "Are you sure that it's wise to-"

"That is enough," Optimus reprimanded firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. He resumed walking and excited the room, closely followed by Prowl, Red Alert, and Scattershot, who was lagging slightly behind but still trying to keep up. "After what Scattershot has just shared with us, I believe that we can trust him. However, we will not be leaving him alone." The Prime glanced apologetically at Scattershot before continuing. "While I believe that you can be trusted, for the time being, we still cannot afford to take any chances. Ratchet, Wheelie, Brains, and Computron will be watching you. Once this is over with and we return, you will be placed under the watch of another Autobot who will both help you and make sure that you can be trusted. I hope that you understand."

The orange-armored mech nodded again. "I understand, sir."

Optimus continued to walk down the hall that lead from the Autobot living quarters to the main hangar, Prowl, Red Alert, and Scattershot still following closely behind him. They had to hurry; the Decepticons had several days' head start and were no doubt closing in on the location that the information they had stolen pointed to.

There was no time to waste.

* * *

><p>As Optimus had gone to speak with Scattershot upon returning from that afternoon's training session, Ratchet had taken charge of Trailbreaker in addition to First Aid and Beachcomber, seeing all three Sparklings into their recharge naps, and, now that they were awake again, the medic was keeping a watchful optic on them as he and the others present-Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Bumblebee (Sam had been with them but he had left to go get something to eat in the human mess hall, though that was a while ago and he should be back any moment)-waited for those who were on that evening's Sparkling-sitting duty to come and take over watching them once it was time for the next training session. Firestorm was there, too, but he was keeping his distance from the Sparklings, the same hesitance he had displayed around the humans just days earlier present once again. He was, after all, far larger than any of the little ones and didn't want to run the risk of accidently hurting them; besides, the Sparklings seemed intimidated by him-except for Trailbreaker, who just seemed curious-so the old Seeker was keeping a fair amount of space in between himself and the play area to put them at ease.<p>

Even with all five of the Sparklings in the play area at the same time, things had been pretty quiet, but a few minutes ago, Computron had rushed into the hangar, and, not pausing to answer the concerned questions of the others, had continued out of the hangar in the direction of the Autobot quarters. More than a little confusion and uncertainty was left in the black and silver Autobot's wake; even Firestorm, who had been intently reading the latest set of datapads Ratchet had given him, had looked up at Computron's rapid entrance and exit from the hangar.

"That was strange," Firestorm commented. The former Decepticon looked uncertainly down the entrance hall to the Autobot quarters before shifting his attention to the Autobots around the Sparkling play area. "Does he usually rush around like that?"

"No, he doesn't," Sideswipe replied dismissively. The silver mech was too distracted at the moment to even care that he had responded to Firestorm's question-he usually went out of his way to avoid speaking to the old Seeker- because he was busy rescuing Fireflight from the Sparkling's latest attempt to fly by launching himself from the top of some toy blocks. After he sat Fireflight back on the floor and watched as the Sparkling headed off in Sunstreaker's direction, Sideswipe looked curiously in the direction that Computron had gone. "I wonder what he was in such a hurry for, though."

"What does it matter?" Sunstreaker asked in a bored-sounding voice, trying to prevent Fireflight from clinging to his leg before giving up and resigning himself to the fact that, paint at risk of scratching or not, his adopted nephew was going to show him affection regardless.

_He seemed pretty upset,_ Bumblebee pointed out. The young Autobot was sitting just inside the play area, allowing Blaster to hold onto a finger from his right hand. He chirped encouragingly as the little Sparkling tried valiantly to stand up-something he had not yet succeeded in ever doing-using his caretaker's finger as a means of pulling himself to his feet. With a burst of happy clicks and a triumphant cry of "I di'it!", Blaster finally succeeded in standing upright for the first time, although he was pretty wobbly and still held tightly onto Bumblebee for balance. The young scout's optics quirked upwards slightly in affectionate pride at the Sparkling's accomplishment, but he still couldn't help giving Ratchet a worried glance, knowing that the medic would probably have a better idea of what had possibly upset Computron than he did.

"I'm sure that whatever it was, it's being dealt with. He was most likely going to see Optimus about it," Ratchet replied shortly. Although his words were dismissive, in reality Ratchet was concerned with the way Computron had rushed into and out of the main hangar, not stopping to answer the other Autobots' questions. The black and silver mech had hardly left the room that housed Teletraan-I since he and the others had begun to repair it, and Ratchet knew that it must have been something very important to draw Computron out like that, and in such a hurry. He frowned slightly. Computron usually wasn't one to withhold information from the others if it was important, so it must have been something very serious for him to not even stop and answer their questions. _Is it possible that the repairs to Teletraan-I are finally finished, and they've found what the Decepticons have stolen? Not only that, but that whatever was stolen is something that could be used against us, or at the very least, put us at a serious disadvantage once again? That would explain why Computron looked so distressed, but surely…_

The medic's troubled musing was cut off as, just as abruptly as he had entered the hangar before, Computron flew in again. This time, however, the small mech did not leave in a rush, instead coming over and landing on one of the large toy blocks in the play area. Up close, there was no mistaking the look of agitation on his faceplate.

Computron didn't wait for any of them to speak, launching into a rushed explanation of his anxiety, his voice strong with urgency. "Optimus Prime wants all Autobots able to fight ready to leave immediately-I didn't comm you about it because I knew you were busy with the Sparklings and even though this is really important I didn't want to distract you in case something that needed your full attention was going on, but I've already spoken with the others and the humans, too. The Decepticons stole the information regarding the location of Megatron's remains, and they're more likely than not on their way there right now. We need to stop them."

Ratchet immediately got to his feet, but before he or any of the others present could voice their questions to Computron's troubling news, Optimus Prime arrived in the main hangar, closely followed by Prowl, Red Alert, and, Ratchet noticed with surprise, Scattershot. They weren't alone, however; the human soldiers, led by Will Lennox, filed quickly in behind the Autobots, and, soon after, Mirage arrived from the direction of the room that housed Teletraan-I, Wheelie and Brains on his shoulders. The expressions on the faces of human and Autobot alike were grim.

"Where are Silverbolt and Diesel?" Optimus questioned, his voice grave as he looked at Computron. The Prime could sense the optics of all the Autobots who had already been present in the hangar on him. Even the Sparklings were looking at him in confusion as they picked up on the older Autobots' anxiety. He knew that both the gathered Autobots and the humans were waiting for his directions. But first, those who were not yet present also needed to be gathered and prepared to head out as soon as possible.

Computron waved a wing in the direction of the hangar's exit. "Outside. Diesel was testing out his new alt mode and Silverbolt was just flying around, but I told both of them what's going on and they should both be here any minute…"

The words had barely left the small mech's mouth when Silverbolt, followed by Diesel-the smaller Autobot now bearing gray-green armor from his newly acquired alt mode of a military ATV-hurried in. Once the two of them had taken their place alongside the others, Optimus turned to address all those who had gathered upon hearing the disturbing news of just what it was the Decepticons had managed to find out. They were short on time and needed to move out as fast as they could, so the Prime made sure to be quick in issuing his commands.

"As Computron has already informed you, the Decepticons have discovered the location of Megatron's remains. I have no doubt that they will attempt to retrieve them. We cannot allow that to happen. They have a head start of several days, so we must move quickly if we want to even have a chance of heading them off."

"Who all is going?" Sideswipe asked as he stood up, looking ready to leave right there and then.

"All Autobots who are able to fight," Optimus replied. "With the exception of a chosen few to stay here in order to watch the Sparklings, as well as other things."

"What about me, Optimus Prime?" Firestorm questioned, putting aside the datapad he had been reading earlier.

"You are coming as well. We will no doubt need the extra aerial support." Optimus looked to Ratchet. "Ratchet, I would like for you to stay here, along with Wheelie, Brains, and Computron. Scattershot will assist you in keeping watch over the Sparklings."

_And you also want me to keep an optic on Scattershot, just to be safe. But more importantly, to prepare the medbay for casualties,_ The medic added over a private comm with the Autobot leader.

_Yes, but I pray that we will not need it,_ The Prime replied.

During the brief moments Optimus and Ratchet had been speaking over their comms, both the Autobots who were able to fight and the gathered human soldiers had begun to hurriedly prepare themselves to head out. In the midst of all this, Sam walked back into the main hangar from the direction of the mess hall, looking confused as he headed over to where Bumblebee was standing next to the Sparkling play area. The human looked around at the rushing Autobots and human soldiers, taking notice of the looks of anxiety they all wore, before turning and focusing his attention on Bumblebee. The fact that the young Autobot also looked worried and anxious did not escape his notice.

"Bee, what's going on? Why is everyone so on edge?"

The young scout was about to answer in his own voice, as the situation was too complicated for spliced-together radio clips, but saw Ratchet's pointed look, clearly warning him against trying to speak, and decided against it. So, instead of answering, Bumblebee picked Blaster up and gently deposited the little Sparkling in his friend's arms, knowing that Sam would understand that it meant that something urgent was going on. Blaster immediately latched onto Sam with a whimper; having picked up on the anxiety of his caretaker and the other older Autobots, he was beginning to feel distressed himself. Bumblebee could tell by the upset look Blaster gave him that the Sparkling really wanted to stay with him, but the scout knew that couldn't happen; he was needed with the other Autobots. But Sam would willingly look after Blaster for him, and besides, having Sam look after Blaster also meant that his human friend wouldn't try to come along this time; he'd be safe at the base.

Adjusting his hold on Blaster so that he was holding him securely-was it just him or did Blaster seem to be getting heavier lately?-Sam looked up at Bumblebee, the look on his face changing from simple confusion to worry.

Noticing both Sam's confusion and Bumblebee's inability to properly explain things, Computron took a step closer to the human. "The Decepticons know where Megatron's remains are, Sam. And you know what happened the last time they got hold of them."

Sam went pale. "Oh, no. No, no, no, that's not good!" He instinctively held Blaster closer as he turned to look anxiously at Bumblebee, then Will, and finally at Optimus. "You guys will be able to stop them, right? They won't be able to pull it off this time, will they?"

"We'll try our best, Sam," Will said as he climbed into one of the military vehicles being prepped to head out.

"We will all do our best to ensure that the Decepticons are not successful in what they are no doubt attempting to do," Optimus said in agreement, his voice firm. "After what happened the last time, we cannot afford to do otherwise." Out of the corner of his optic, the Prime noticed Trailbreaker gathering the other three Sparklings-as Blaster was currently still being held by Sam-together with a determined look on his young face; the oldest Sparkling had read the older Autobots' anxiety as something to be worried about and was trying to keep his friends together, his young processor no doubt telling him it was safer that way. Despite the gravity of the situation, Optimus felt a slight sense of amused pride in Trailbreaker's actions.

It also served as a reminder as to why they could not fail.

Optimus returned his attention to the Autobots and human soldiers. "We must hurry. Time is of the essence, and we do not have much of it."

That said, Optimus Transformed, shifting into his vehicle mode far more quickly than he had ever done before, aware that the other Autobots were doing so as well-except for Silverbolt and Firestorm, who would do so once they were outside and had room to take to the air-and also taking note that the human soldiers were also all ready to depart. While they would arrive at their destination more quickly if they all traveled by air, there was no place for that many aircraft to land where they were going. Silverbolt and Firestorm would be hard-pressed as it was to find landing areas, which was the reason they would not be taking any of the other Autobots or human soldiers with them as passengers.

But they had no choice, and would just have to do the best that they could.

It was evident just how urgent this mission was when Optimus didn't even have to issue his normal command of "Roll Out" for the group to begin to head out. The Prime led the way out of the hangar as those who were remaining behind wished them luck. The convoy of human-operated military vehicles and Autobots picked up speed as they headed off the base.

The luck wished towards them was desperately needed.

The race was on, and it was not one they could afford to lose.

* * *

><p>Ever since the day when Salvo and the rest of the Decepticons who had been part of the attack on the Autobot base had returned to the mountains where Cyclonus and the rest had been staying, and the Decepticon leader had given the command to move out, they had been traveling almost nonstop, venturing further north into the United States. Finally, in the state that the human insects called Kentucky, they had stopped when they arrived at what, at first glance, was merely the site of a landslide, with a large, yet simple human dwelling resembling a cabin erected nearby. The humans had been quickly dealt with, of course, but their presence wasn't all that unusual. Humans often lived out in the woods. It was normal to see such a thing.<p>

But no, it was much more than a simple human dwelling next to a landslide site, Cyclonus had been quick to explain. There was actually a cave there, and that cave had its entrance blocked by a landslide that was man-made, not natural, and what they were truly after was inside. The humans had actually been soldiers in civilian garb set about to guard what was inside the blocked off cave, but that didn't matter as they had been killed before they could send for any help. Salvo immediately set about getting the other Decepticons to clear away the rubble-which would have been made easier if they could use their weapons-something that Bullseye had tried to do. However, Cyclonus and Salvo had insisted on the rocks being cleared away by hand.

"Why?" Bullseye challenged, making no move to lower his weapon. "That'll take too long. I'm not going to be slaving away for hours doing it the hard way. I'm going to use this to get it done faster."

Before the arrogant red mech could fire off a single shot, Howlback knocked him down with a snarl, pinning him to the ground easily. The cassette looked even more intimidating than normal, with the blood from the humans she had killed starting to dry on her blue and silver armor. Bullseye took one look at her bared fangs and wisely decided to keep very, very still.

"You'll do as you told, Bullseye, or you'll regret it," Salvo replied calmly. "Remember what I told you at the factory. It still stands."

"And this time, Salvo won't be the only one who punishes you," Cyclonus added, scowling at the upstart Decepticon. The Decepticon leader had known that Bullseye was a threat to his plans even before Salvo had complained about him possibly trying to steal Energon from the reserves, but he had, up until now, put up with his rebellious attitude just as Salvo had done. But it had to end now. They needed no more obstacles, Decepticon-caused or otherwise, to this plan. Megatron's remains had to be retrieved.

Bullseye glowered at them all but put his weapon away as Howlback allowed him to get back to his feet.

"Megatron's remains are in there?" Salvo asked in an undertone, looking skeptically at the blocked cave entrance.

"Yes," Cyclonus confirmed.

"Why here?" Salvo frowned. "It's a bit low on security, isn't it? Yes, those humans were here, but it still looks like an unwise choice for Megatron's tomb. Why would the Autobots put him here? It seems like a rather large tactical mistake on their part."

"Think about it, Salvo," Cyclonus spoke patiently. "When the Autobots buried Lord Megatron at the bottom of the ocean, the security there was massive. Easily seen, and it showed that there was something important being kept down there. On the other hand, here, it's isolated, quiet, and security is minimal. Not to mention the fact that the density of these rocks interferes with our scanners, preventing us from picking up that there are Cybertronian remains inside. But if it was a choice between a heavily-defended area, and an isolated one with virtually no defense, which would you believe the Autobots would be more likely to place Lord Megatron's remains?"

"I see," Salvo mused. "They knew we wouldn't expect something simple like this, so it's what they went with. A big risk on their part, but it worked." He smirked. "Until now, that is."

"We should have considered this possibility sooner." Cyclonus shrugged. "But we Decepticons always get what we need in the end."

* * *

><p>"Lift those rocks away from there, but be careful. I said <em>careful<em>, you idiot!"

The Decepticon soldier that was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of Salvo's scolding tried to lift the boulder he was holding away from the rest of the rubble, but some of the loose debris shifted out from under his feet as he moved. With a yell of dismay, he dropped the boulder and it slammed back into place, before sliding down along with several other rocks to fill in an area below that had already been slightly cleared out. The other Deceptions working further down cried out in anger, but their insults were drowned out by Salvo, who, despite not shouting, was able to berate just as furiously as if he had been. The unfortunate Decepticon-one of those deemed as "expendable" by the higher-ups among the Decepticon ranks and therefore one of those who got assigned the worst tasks-had no choice but to take the verbal abuse, and the physical shoving aside that naturally followed it.

"You're useless, absolutely slagging _useless_. Get out of the way so Skyjack can take over; at least _he's_ strong enough to left the boulders without dropping them on everyone else's heads." The black-armored Decepticon gave the other a rough push down the slope. "Get down there and help Howlback clear out those human carcasses, if you can even accomplish _that_."

Even though he had barely been able to keep his balance after Salvo had pushed him, the Decepticon decided that it was best not to argue, fleeing the rest of the way down the slope. The Decepticon leaders were all on edge, and was best not to push them when they were like that.

Salvo looked up at the remaining rubble. The Decepticons, with the exception of Howlback (who was dragging the human corpses out of the cabin), that worthless one he had just sent to help her, Cyclonus, and Scourge, had been working to clear it away for several hours-even _he_ was working to maneuver some of the larger boulders away. But while progress had been made, it wasn't enough. Skyjack was bigger and stronger than most of the other Decepticons working, so the work had sped up significantly. A little extra help would still be useful, though.

Cyclonus was aware of this as well. "Scourge," he ordered. "Those worthless soldiers are doing a terrible job, with the exception of Skyjack. Get over there and show the rest of them how it's really done."

The Decepticon leader watched as Scourge stomped over to the blocked cave entrance and began tossing boulders off of the rubble pile with relative ease. Perfect; with the three largest Decepticons besides himself-Scourge, Skyjack, and Salvo-working alongside the lower soldiers, the cave would be opened in no time. Which was exactly what needed to happen; while he had no doubt that Howlback had done her work well in wrecking the Autobot Network, he also knew that the experts with the Autobots-mainly Computron-in all likelihood had the problem fixed by now, knew what the Decepticons were doing, and were on their way to stop them.

They had to be done and gone before the Autobots arrived.

Or, at the very least, ready to go the moment their enemies caught up to them.

* * *

><p>The journey was quiet. Well, quiet for the <em>humans<em>, at least. Red Alert spent a great deal of it in one of his panicked tirades over the Autobot comms, about how he _"had known that something bad was going to happen but no one ever takes me seriously and even though I wasn't expecting something like this we still should have…"_

None of the other Autobots had attempted to stop him in his rambling. Red Alert knew how serious the matter was and this was just his way to deal with the stress. The others had all grown used to his rants by now, but after a while, when it seemed to be finally getting out of hand, Prowl stepped in and asked Red Alert to explain to him what the paranoid mech thought the Autobots should expect in the coming confrontation. The conversation presumably continued over a private comm channel between the two friends, sparing the others from dealing with Red Alert's constant rambling. The other Autobots were all quiet, and, like their human allies that were present, dealing with their own troubled thoughts about what was happening. Optimus Prime himself was deeply troubled by what the Decepticons were attempting to do, and the implications behind it.

When they had faced the same situation three years ago, things had been different. Very different. Optimus Prime knew that, and he knew that the others, Autobot and human alike, knew it as well.

Three years ago, they hadn't had the Decepticons as close to being defeated as the Autobots had thought that they were now. Yes, there had been fewer numbers of the enemy on Earth back then, but they had not gone into hiding after the first defeat of their leader. Megatron's death then had left a power vacuum that had split the Decepticons temporarily in two, and both groups had been more than willing to cause trouble, even in the absence of their leader. But the fight in Chicago had completely wiped out the Decepticon command unit. And while Megatron's death, alongside Starscream's, Soundwave's, and Sentinel's, _had_ left another power vacuum this time around (which the Prime and the others had been informed had been filled by Cyclonus, Scourge, and Salvo), after Chicago, the Decepticons had withdrawn into hiding completely. A year had passed and they had not caused any trouble until that attack on the base the previous month. They had simply waited until the time was right to strike this time, and it was that thought that troubled the Prime more than the actual knowledge of what it was they were currently on their way to stop.

Who knew what else they were planning to do? And just how were they planning on reviving Megatron? It was possible that they still had the shard of the All-Spark that they had stolen three years ago in their possession, but just _one_ shard of the All-Spark would not be enough to both bring the Decepticon leader back online and heal the damage that had sent him offline in the first place. Optimus knew that, even with the skill of the medic drones the Decepticons had, with their depleted resources there was no way they could restore Megatron to complete functionality.

But there was no other reason that the Prime could see for the Decepticons to want to find where the Autobots had sealed up Megatron's remains. They had to be planning to resurrect him.

So there had to be something, some clue, some way the Decepticons could do it and have him restored fully, that the Autobots were missing.

A frustrated rumble came from the Autobot leader's engine, and he increased his speed slightly.

After a year had passed with no activity from the Decepticons, he'd started to believe that maybe, finally, the Decepticons had at last grown as weary of the fighting as the Autobots had, and that they could have peace. Even when Unicron's approach had been revealed, with the Decepticons still not making themselves known, the possibility of finally having peace was there.

Then the attack on the base had occurred, and he and the rest of the Autobots realized that there had never been peace with the Decepticons in the first place-it was nothing more than a lull in the fighting.

Peace _was_ still possible, Optimus Prime knew. Scattershot and Firestorm had proved that, and going by what Scattershot had told them, there were possibly still yet more Decepticons who would be willing to come over to the Autobot side. Optimus had always believed that everyone had the capacity for good.

Part of him still wanted to believe that Megatron could change. But the realistic part of the Prime knew that the Megatron he once knew, the mech that had been his brother, his friend, was gone forever.

No matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise.

And Optimus Prime knew, for the safety of the Autobots, the humans, every living thing on the planet, that he needed to make sure that Megatron _remained_ offline.

There was no other way.

* * *

><p>Sunlight had not touched the inside of the cave for a year. With the entrance blocked off, if the metal being inside the cavern had been alive, it would have experienced nothing but darkness, the same as the cave cricket that was exploring around what had once been one of the metal being's arms had its entire life.<p>

A sudden shower of rubble came from the blocked entrance of the cave, and a shaft of sunlight streamed in, illuminating the dark for the first time in a year. Disturbed by the sudden movement, and light that it could sense even if it could not see, the cave cricket fled into the darker areas of the cave, leaving the remains of the metallic giant alone once again.

The shaft of light grew bigger, and more debris poured into the cave as those working on the outside dug furiously to gain entrance to the tomb of the giant. The light was briefly cut off as one of the workers outside looked into the cave, letting out a shout of triumph as he saw just what was inside of the cave.

Megatron's Decepticons had found him at last.

"Cyclonus!" Salvo's call echoed to the Decepticon leader. "I've found him! You were right, it is Lord Megatron!"

"Excellent." Cyclonus strode forward to stand at the base of the rubble pile in front of the cave. "Is there a wide enough entrance to get him out?"

"Yes, there will be in a few more moments," Salvo confirmed as Skyjack and Scourge hefted a few more boulders away from the steadily-widening entrance to the cave.

"_Megatron_?" Bullseye questioned in disbelief. "You never said we were looking for his _remains_."

"That information was on a strictly need-to-know basis," Salvo replied dismissively, returning his attention to assisting Skyjack and Scourge. "And you didn't need to know."

Bullseye shot a glare at Salvo, then returned, grumbling, to his own share of the work.

"As soon as the opening is wide enough, send the retrieval units inside," Cyclonus ordered. "Once Lord Megatron's remains are secure, you and Skyjack are to cut through the woods as fast as you can on foot, taking them with you. By doing this we will make the Autobots believe that we have not yet succeeded in our plans if they arrive here before we can all leave. Once you are a fair distance away, you will fly them to the rendezvous coordinates I supplied you with earlier. Set up the extra signal dampeners once you are there; we don't want the Autobots finding us before we leave to take Megatron's remains to their final destination. The work must be done carefully yet quickly. I want the remains to be long gone by the time the Autobots get here, even if the rest of us are still here. The plan is for us all to be gone, but if that doesn't happen, we need to make sure that the remains are safe, at least."

Howlback scoured her claws against one of the boulders that had been tossed aside. "Well, I hope that we _are_ still here when the Autobots arrive." She looked up as three of the smaller Decepticons that made up the retrieval crew slipped inside the roughly-made opening to the cave. "I have a special welcome planned for them, especially for a certain yellow one."

"You'll get your chance," Cyclonus promised. "If not today, than soon." He, too, turned his attention to the entrance of the cave as one of the Decepticons came scrambling back out, carefully balancing one of Megatron's arms as he carried it over to where Scourge and Salvo were waiting to prepare the remains for transport.

The Decepticons who had been assigned the task of getting Megatron's remains out of the cave were hard-pressed to do so. They knew they needed to finish the job quickly, but at the same time they needed to be careful. They were all-too aware of what would happen to them if they added any more damage to Megatron, even if only accidently.

Fortunately, they were able to get them out with minimal difficulty. As Scourge and Salvo set about placing the offline Deception leader's remains in the air transport containers they brought along, the cave was scoured to ensure that not even the smallest part was left behind.

_Yes, Lord Megatron,_ Cyclonus thought as he watched the proceedings with grim satisfaction. _Soon you will be with us once again._

_And this time, with you to lead us once again and Unicron lending you his power, the Decepticons will be victorious!_

* * *

><p>If it had not been for the seriousness of their mission and the fact that they needed to hurry, the drive would have been pleasant, given the time of year and the resulting fall scenery as they left Ohio and headed into the hills of Kentucky.<p>

When the time had come to dispose of Megatron's remains, Optimus had known that they would need a different tactic than the one they had applied the first time. Intense security had led the Decepticons right to Megatron the last time, and the humans and Autobots had agreed to try the opposite this time. They had picked a remote cave and utilized it, setting few guards there. Such security was not needed for the other Decepticon remains, but then again, even though Starscream, Sentinel, and Soundwave had been important, Megatron was the true Decepticon leader. If the surviving Decepticons were to try and resurrect any of the fallen ones, it would be him, with absolute certainty. The other remains were secured elsewhere, and the files concerning their locations had remained untouched on Teletraan-I. As they had feared, the Decepticons wanted Megatron, and Megatron alone.

Will had spent nearly every moment of their journey trying to contact the soldiers who were guarding the cave where Megatron was being kept, but each time had received no answer. Although it had not been said aloud, Optimus feared he knew what had happened to those human soldiers, and he knew the others did as well.

He'd been foolish to not consider this a possibility when the Decepticons launched that attack on the Autobot base and hacked into their network. He should have seen it and done something to be ready.

_There's no point in dwelling on the what-ifs, Prime,_ Prowl told the Autobot leader over the comm. _What happened has happened, and there's no changing that. All that we can do now is deal with the situation and move forward._

_I know,_ Optimus said heavily as they finally arrived at the dirt road that would lead them the final stretch to the cave. _I regret that I did not realize this was what the Decepticons wanted sooner, but we cannot think about that now. The fight is what we must focus on._

_Do we have enough soldiers and Autobots with us to fight off the Decepticons?_ Red Alert asked, the panicky edge to his words inaudible over the comm but picked up by his friends regardless. _They'll be desperate._

_If it's a small group doing this, like the one that attacked our base, we'll outnumber them,_ Sideswipe pointed out. _We should be fine._

_Should be,_ Sunstreaker said in agreement with his brother. _Besides, even if it's not a small group, the humans boost our numbers and are pretty strong fighters themselves. The Decepticons don't have that._

_I wish the Wreckers were here,_ Bumblebee transmitted faintly. It was easy to tell that the young scout was nervous. _They're good fighters, too. We could use their help._

_They are currently too far away to have helped us here,_ Optimus replied. The Prime knew they needed to use every fighter they had, but the Wreckers would not have arrived to help in time. They were simply too far away at the moment, taking care of the Autobots' ship. But that did not matter right now. _We will have to do this on our own._

The Autobots' conversation had all taken place in less than a minute, thanks to the speed of their digital communication. This was fortunate, as their destination was not too far ahead.

Optimus caught a glimpse of purple through the trees and, recognizing the color from the times he had seen it during the battles on Cybertron, shot forward, shifting from vehicle to robot mode so fast that the other Autobots and the humans in the military vehicles with them were forced to brake to a sudden halt as they cleared the treeline and the formerly blocked cave, wrecked cabin, and the large form of the once Decepticon Air Commander came into view.

"Cyclonus!" The Autobot leader shouted, deploying his Energon blades as he prepared for battle. "Step away from the cave. Do it now, and we will let you leave unharmed."

The Decepticon leader turned around, a cold smirk on his face.

"Optimus Prime, it's been far too long," He said, red optics flashing triumph. "I haven't seen you since, what, the evacuation of Iacon? No, it was the bombing of the shore districts. I remember now."

"Step away from the cave," Optimus ordered again, aware of the other Autobots, now all in their own robot modes, coming to stand beside him, and the humans taking their places as well. Silverbolt and Firestorm were still circling in the sky, ready to land and help if things got out of hand, which, judging by the look of deranged triumph on Cyclonus's faceplate, was unavoidable.

"I really wish I could indulge your request, Prime," Cyclonus vented in mock sadness, shaking his head. "But, unfortunately, you see…"

He waved an arm, and suddenly the landscape around and above the cave was teeming with Decepticons, all of whom looked ready to kill. At the sight of the battle-eager Decepticons, Cyclonus grinned savagely at the Autobot leader.

"You're too late."


	19. Confrontation with Cyclonus

**A/N**_**:**__ First off, I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. I seriously underestimated how long it would take to revise the Prologue and Chapters 1-17, and on top of that I've been dealing with personal issues that left me in no mood to write or do anything. But now, everything has hopefully turned around, and I can get back to writing this story._

_Before I say anything else, the Prologue and Chapters 1-17 have been revised and edited. What I changed are more than punctuation and spelling mistakes. Some chapters have dialogue and other such things added. As such, I highly recommend that you go back and reread this story from the beginning. _

_Now, this chapter gave me fits. Mainly because I find Optimus really, really hard to write. There's still something about it that bugs me, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is. Maybe I'm just tired, maybe it's just because I went so long without writing this story. But if you have any suggestions for improving this chapter, please let me know._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech"

"**Cybertronian"**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON****! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Eighteen-Confrontation with Cyclonus**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 6,392**

* * *

><p>AT CYCLONUS'S ANNOUNCEMENT, OPTIMUS PRIME REALIZED THAT things would quickly get out of hand if he did not at least <em>try<em> to reason with the acting Decepticon leader. Even though the savage triumph that was visible in Cyclonus's expression, in addition to knowing how loyal the mech had been to Megatron and the Decepticon cause, heavily implied that it would not work, as Prime he knew he had to make the effort to avoid any unnecessary violence, not matter how slim the chance of a positive outcome to this confrontation might be. Out of the corner of his optics he could see that the others were tensed up and ready to fight. Before any of them could make a move, however, Optimus Prime withdrew one of his blades and held out a hand, halting the advance of both the humans and Autobots before it even began.

Without taking his optics off of Cyclonus, Optimus withdrew his other Energon blade and took a step forward, ignoring the shocked and incredulous looks his allies shot towards him at his deliberate, though most likely temporary, disarming of himself. "Cyclonus, wait. We do not have to fight. I wish to speak with you."

Cyclonus gave the Autobot leader a long, appraising look before speaking, his voice sounding mildly intrigued at the request. "_We_ would very much like to fight _you_, Optimus. But I'll humor you for the time being. You say you want to talk? Well, I'm listening. Just hurry up before I change my mind."

"What is it exactly that you intend to do now, Cyclonus?" The Prime asked. He briefly looked over the assembled Decepticons, taking note of how mixed their reactions were about him simply wanted to talk. A few of them looked confused, but most, especially Howlback, Salvo, and Bullseye, looked annoyed at the delay to the fighting they no doubt wanted to take place. Knowing that a peaceful resolution would indeed be difficult to reach, Optimus returned his full attention to the Decepticons' acting leader. "Why are you doing this?"

"I think you already know that, Optimus Prime, though I'll indulge you by answering your question anyway," Cyclonus replied, with an air of mock civility. "I'm simply taking the steps necessary to ensure that the Decepticon get back what is rightfully ours."

"Cyclonus, I ask you to please reconsider what it is you are doing," Optimus said evenly. "There does not have to be any more fighting between Autobots and Deceptions. Stop this now, and we will let you leave in peace."

"You will _let_ us?" Cyclonus's optics smoldered with anger and all pretense at civility disappeared from his voice. "How dare you. How _DARE_ you presume that you can tell us what to do, Optimus Prime. You Autobots kill our leaders, destroy Cybertron when we try to save it, steal our Hatchlings, drive us into hiding and living a miserable life, deprived of Energon, and you think _you_ can tell _us_ what to do? You may be Prime, but you are not _our_ leader. You have no right to tell us what to do after what you've done to us."

Optimus's gaze hardened at the implications behind Cyclonus's words. Despite the fact that he wanted to achieve a peaceful resolution to their confrontation, he was not going to stand for Cyclonus writing off the Decepticons as being nothing but victims in the war. "Do not make the Decepticons out to be nothing more than innocent victims, Cyclonus. We Autobots are not blameless for what has happened, but we have only done what is necessary to protect this planet and its people from the cruelty that your faction has displayed towards them ever since arriving here. Megatron and Sentinel would have destroyed this planet and all who live here if their plan to bring Cybertron through the space bridge had succeeded. The destruction of Cybertron was a terrible thing, but do not act like _you _are blameless for it. If the Decepticons had never activated the space bridge we would not have been forced to destroy it. And as for the Hatchlings, you forfeited any claim you had to them when you abandoned them in Africa; they all would have _died_ if we had not found the few survivors that remained when we did. Running away and hiding instead of finding a solution to the war was _your _choice. We have been fighting for far too long, Cyclonus. There could be peace between our factions. We would have helped you if you had sincerely asked for it and agreed to peace."

"Cover it as doing the 'right thing' all you want, Optimus Prime. You're just as guilty as you claim we are." Cyclonus gave a derisive laugh. "And Peace? With _you _and your _humans_? Don't insult my intelligence, Prime."

"Your intelligence should let you see that I am telling the truth," Optimus said firmly. He could see a few of the Deception soldiers looking at each other as if considering his words, but they did not say anything. Perhaps they were too scared of Cyclonus to speak out, but it at least showed that a few of the Deceptions could possibly be convinced not to fight. However, Optimus knew what was going to happen, both by the angry look on Cyclonus's faceplate, and the way most of the other Deceptions were glaring at the Autobots and humans. It was not what he wanted the outcome of this confrontation with the Decepticons to be.

"Why settle for the truth when lies are so much easier and useful to say?" Cyclonus growled, but then he paused for moment, his expression slowly changing back to one of triumph. "Haven't you wondered by now why I let you do all that talking, why I didn't just give the order to fight you so we could escape? Since when have Decepticons cared about what the _Autobot_ leader wants to tell _us_?"

"Oh, I should've known that this was all one big trick!" Red Alert exclaimed before Optimus could say anything, but Prowl quickly hissed at the paranoid mech to be quiet before he could go into full-on rant mode.

Cyclonus laughed derisively at Red Alert's exclamation, then continued his taunting. "Oh, yes, it _was_ a trick, and a rather ingenious one at that. While you were busy lecturing us with your Autobot propaganda, Optimus, Skyjack and a squad of our fastest fliers were busy getting Megatron's remains away from here. They are out of your reach now and we have what we need to get back what's been stolen from us. Too bad for you, Autobots and Humans. You've been outsmarted and outmaneuvered once again."

_Silverbolt, Firestorm, spread out and search,_ Optimus ordered immediately over an open comm channel with the two flight-capable Cybertronians, never takings his optics off of the assembled Decepticons in front of them. While it was true he intended to try one more time to get Cyclonus to see reason, he knew it would be foolish to not try and catch the Decepticons who had fled with Megatron's remains. Even though he did not see how they would be able to revive Megatron and restore him to complete functionality, they couldn't afford to take the risk just in case the Decepticons really had a way to do so. _The Decepticons have already transported Megatron's remains away from here. We need to find them before they get too far, if they have not already. They are more likely than not employing the use of their signal dampeners once again to avoid detection, so be sure to search as far as you can._

_Understood, sir,_ Silverbolt replied.

_If they are still nearby, we will do our best to find them,_ Firestorm added.

Even though he was reassured slightly by the knowledge that Silverbolt and Firestorm were looking for those Decepticons who had already fled, Optimus knew that the odds of finding them were not in the Autobots' favor. The Decepticons had too much of a lead on them. The Prime mentally berated himself for allowing the Deceptions to distract him and the others upon their arrival, even though he had known they'd had precious little time to stop them to begin with. He should have seen this coming, but, as Prowl had told him on their journey, he knew that there was no point in dwelling on what he should have done. They needed to move forward. And yet, he still could not help blaming himself for this, for realizing what he should have. The consequences for his lack of foresight could prove catastrophic.

For the sake of those who remained behind at the base- the Sparklings, the other Autobots, and the humans-and everyone living on the planet, he had to try to end this _now_, peacefully, or otherwise. If the Decepticons were successful in reviving Megatron, Earth would be in danger long before Unicron even reached the solar system. Optimus looked evenly at Cyclonus, once more speaking calmly even as he once again activated and held his Energon blades at the ready. "Cyclonus, it is still not too late for you to-"

"Be quiet!" Cyclonus hissed. "We're done talking. We have what we need and we do not wish to kill you just yet, but I see no reason for us to not burn off a little bit of the anger we've accumulated during our time in hiding."

Without any further warning Cyclonus launched himself towards the Prime, bring his own Energon blade to bear and swinging it at the Prime's head. Optimus quickly blocked the blow, but Cyclonus was already calling over his shoulder, addressing the other Decepticons with the words they'd wanted to hear ever since they had all fled Chicago.

"Decepticons, attack! Give the Autobots and their human pets a preview of what will happen to them when we're finished with our plans!"

Optimus pushed the Decepticon leader back with a hefty blow from his Energon blades, stepping back so that he was standing closer to the assembled human soldiers and Autobots once again.

_I had hoped we could avoid this_, The Prime thought, motioning the assembled Autobots and humans forward to face the Decepticons without taking his optics off of Cyclonus, who was moving to attack him again. _Unfortunately it looks like we no longer have a choice._

Now all that was left was to try and end the battle as quickly and with as little loss of life as possible-even though Cyclonus had said they did not want to kill, Optimus did not believe that statement in the slightest-and hope that Silverbolt and Firestorm would catch up to the Decepticons fleeing with Megatron's remains.

Enough mistakes had been made due to his lack of foresight, and Optimus had no wish to see any more happen. He would take the steps necessary to ensure that.

And he would begin with putting a stop to Cyclonus's plan.

* * *

><p>After receiving their orders from Optimus Prime, Firestorm and Silverbolt had flown away from the area before heading in different directions, hoping to cover as large of an area as was possible in order to increase the chance that they would find where the Decepticons had went. However, like Optimus Prime had known, both the Aerialbot and the old Seeker were able to figure that, considering that the Deceptions had a head start on them, as well as having possession of signal dampeners that they could use to completely mask their location, it would be very hard to find them.<p>

When yet another stretch of land devoid of any sight of Decepticons met his optics and a scan of the surrounding sky yielded no results-though the scan was useless if the Decepticons were truly using their signal dampeners to their advantage-Firestorm, still not used to having complete access to the Autobot comm frequencies, hesitantly commed Silverbolt-maybe the younger flier had had better luck than he had. _Have you found them, Silverbolt?_

_No,_ Silverbolt replied immediately. _I hate to admit this, but I think they're long gone. We've lost them._

_I think so, as well,_ Firestorm admitted reluctantly. The former Decepticon was both disappointed and ashamed that they had failed in the task Optimus had given them, but he knew there was no use in dwelling on it. If the Decepticons that had fled could not be found, that was that, and, in the meantime, the others would need their help if the discussion with Cyclonus and the others had gone sour, which the old Seeker had no doubt that it had-they had to get back there as soon as they possibly could. _There is nothing we can do about it at the moment. We should head back. Optimus Prime and the others will most likely need us._

_You're right,_ Silverbolt said unhappily. _I'm heading back to where we split up now. I think we'd better hurry. Cyclonus looked like he wanted to rip Optimus apart._

_I agree. I will meet up with you there as soon as I possibly can. _The old Seeker turned and began to fly as fast as he could back in the direction he had come from. Despite knowing they had done their best, Firestorm's thoughts were still troubled, and he had no doubts that Silverbolt felt the same. They'd failed to track down the Decepticons that had Megatron's remains. But there was still a chance that they could turn this situation around if they went back to help the others, and they had to take it. They would have to find a way to deal with what the fleeing Decepticons later, and hope that it was not too late. They didn't have any other choice at the moment.

Firestorm hadn't been flying back towards where the other Autobots were for very long when he picked up something very faint on his scanners. He halted mid-flight, Transforming into his robot mode and hovering in place as he examined the signal he was picking up more closely. Now that he had taken the time to study it carefully, he recognized it for what it was. It wasn't what they were looking for; it wasn't a Decepticon signal, but it was just as important.

It was an Autobot signal. An Autobot _distress_ signal.

Frowning, he looked in the direction his scanners indicated the signal was coming from. It hadn't been there when he had passed this way earlier, so whoever was transmitting it must have recently arrived in the area. The distress signal was very weak; it was most likely not capable of being picked up very far from its origin point, which had to be nearby. He checked his scanners and picked up Silverbolt's signal, indicating that the flight-capable Autobot was nearby.

_Silverbolt, I am picking up a very faint Autobot distress signal near my current position,_ Firestorm informed the Aerialbot. _I am not detecting individual Autobot signatures, but there is definitely someone out here._

_I've picked it up, too,_ Silverbolt replied, coming into view. _You don't think the Decepticons could be creating a false distress signal, to lure us into an ambush trap, do you?_

_I do not think so,_ Firestorm mused. _They would not want us to find them as they are trying to escape with what they have taken. If they set up a false signal, it would not be an ambush, but maybe a trick to lure us away from where they are._

_They don't need to do that,_ Silverbolt replied. _They've already given us the slip. Do you think we should go check it out, just to be safe? It could be a hurt Autobot that needs our help._

_That would be best,_ The old Seeker agreed. _There may also be a slight chance that they may have run into the Decepticons themselves and that is why they sent out a distress signal._

_Let's go see,_ Silverbolt said. _It's better to be safe than sorry, right?_

_Correct._ Firestorm knew that they could not ignore a call for help, especially from an Autobot that could possibly have been hurt by the fleeing Decepticons.

At the shared agreement to investigate, the two flight-capable Cybertronians turned and sped in the direction the distress call was coming from.

* * *

><p>After his first initial attacks on Optimus Prime, Cyclonus had retreated back towards the rubble pile that had once blocked the entrance to Megatron's former tomb, allowing the other Decepticons present to rush past him and engage the Autobots and humans in battle. The Decepticon leader had no intention to be in a prolonged battle with the Prime; he knew what Optimus was capable of in a fight-especially when the safety of his fellow Autobots and their disgusting human friends was at risk-and Cyclonus had no desire whatsoever to be on the receiving end of the Autobot leader's weapons. He was strong enough to survive, and properly win against Optimus, yes, but Cyclonus knew it wasn't his place to presume to do so. He might currently be the leader of the Decepticons, but the right to properly challenge Optimus Prime to a fight belonged to one Decepticon alone.<p>

Only _Megatron_ deserved to fight the Prime one-on one. Cyclonus knew it was his duty to see to it that the time would come that such an encounter would happen again, and in order for that to happen, Optimus Prime had to survive this battle. He'd impressed that firmly upon all of the other Decepticons, promising death to any who tried to actually do lasting damage to Optimus.

Not that any of them _could._

The others were far too weak to even stand their ground for long against the Prime, so there was no risk in sending _them _to fight the Autobot leader.

Cyclonus watched the fighting with satisfaction, stopping his musings long enough to swat one of the annoying human insects-it was trying to attack him with its pathetic excuse for a weapon-away with a disgusted growl, only to look up and see both Red Alert and Prowl heading his way, firing their plasma rifles at him.

_Oh, well,_ he thought, activating his own plasma cannon and rushing forward to face the two oncoming Autobots_. I might I was well amuse myself by fighting with them while I have the chance._

This battle would only last until Skyjack contacted him again to let him know he had arrived at the predetermined rendezvous point. As soon as that happened, the Decepticons would immediately stop fighting and flee the area as fast as possible. They all had signal dampeners, and if they moved quickly enough, the Autobots would never find them.

After that, they would have to temporarily get off of this cursed organic world. Once they did that, there was only one more thing the Decepticons needed to do, and while it would cost them two of their own, the results such a sacrifice would yield would be worth it in the end.

Then the proper countdown towards the Autobots' complete destruction would begin.

* * *

><p>After Cyclonus had backed off, putting the other Decepticons in-between himself and the Autobots and humans as a living shield, Optimus found himself fighting with Scourge. The purple-armored Decepticon was very close to being the same height as the Prime, but his build was stockier, giving him extra strength. The Autobot leader was able to hold his ground, but Scourge also refused to yield any to him as well, making it extremely difficult for Optimus to push past him to assist the others, as well as break through to Cyclonus, who was fighting Prowl and Red Alert with an expression of amused savagery on his faceplate. Given time, the Autobot leader knew he would be able to defeat Scourge in a fight, but time was something that was not on the Autobots' side at the moment. Optimus had to get past Scourge now and get to Cyclonus. As much as he had wanted to avoid doing so, the Prime knew that the only way to stop this now was to bring Cyclonus down.<p>

Unfortunately, performing such a feat was, at the moment, easier said than done.

As he fought with Scourge, Optimus found himself grateful for all of the extra training sessions the Autobots and their human allies had taken part in over the past month. The attack on the base had shown them just how much not having to fight the Decepticons for a year had made them unprepared, and even though the bulk of the training they were doing was for something entirely different, an enemy of vastly different size and strength, looking over the other Autobots and humans as they fought, allowed Optimus to see that the results it had yielded were still useful against the Decepticons, even though they were not the same tactics the Autobots usually employed against them.

In spite of all the training they had done, however, it was obvious the Autobots and humans were at a disadvantage.

The Decepticons were fighting in an eerily similar way to how they had the night the small strike force had attacked the Autobot base in Ohio, striking fast and hard, but quickly getting out of the way whenever the Autobots and humans moved to counterattack-except for Scourge, of course, who seemed to be focused solely on preventing Optimus from helping the others in the fight. It was a very noticeable change from the way they had fought in the past. The implications behind the Decepticons' apparently new signature fighting style were a source of unease for those fighting the Decepticons. It was easy to see; while Decepticons outnumber them this time, there was also a barely-restrained frustration and hatred behind every blow the Decepticons dealt that made it perfectly clear that they were holding back for some reason and not taking advantage of their superior numbers like they usually did. For the Decepticons, such actions were unusual to the point of being a matter of extreme concern.

It was widely known that the Decepticons did not use restraint against those they fought. They preferred to be as violent as possible against their enemies. The fact that they were holding back now, after what Cyclonus had told them earlier and after what the Decepticons had taken from the cave, was troubling. What reason did they have for holding back? Why wouldn't they want to take out as many of their enemies as they possibly could?

_Because Cyclonus wants to give Megatron the honor of doing so himself,_ Optimus abruptly realized. The ramifications of just what that meant hit him fully. _That must mean that he truly knows a way to revive Megatron and bring him back to full strength. But what could that be? Such a thing should be impossible._

The Prime's realization was added to further when Scourge swung a fist at his head, and Optimus blocked it with a blow from his Energon blade, following up with a powerful shove backwards, causing Scourge to growl in anger as he was finally pushed back. _They are toying with us. They could have fled before we arrived here, but Cyclonus wanted to gloat about what he was done, so they stayed. He wants to show us that they have every intention of continuing the war, but he knows his plan would be put at risk if I were to properly fight him, and that is why he is not bothering to fight me himself. _With Scourge temporarily out of the way, Optimus wasted no time in moving forward to assist the others as well as he could as he made his way slowly but surely back to where Cyclonus was still fighting with Red Alert and Prowl.

While the two Autobot security officers were holding their ground remarkably well, Optimus knew that _he_ had to get to Cyclonus. Only capturing or otherwise removing Cyclonus from the picture would allow him to put a stop to this before any permanent harm could befall those under his command. He would not allow anyone to get hurt because of his mistake. He knew that he should have been able to see these events coming, but he had not, and now, they were paying the price.

Optimus Prime had every intention of correcting that mistake today.

* * *

><p>While the others were distracted by the sight of the Autobot leader breaking past Scourge at last and now coming towards them, Howlback slipped away from the other Decepticons and hurried through the tumult of the battle, looking from side to side eagerly. Ever since Cyclonus had given the order to attack, she had been waiting for her chance to do this, attacking the other Autobots and humans while she wanted for the right opportunity. And while it was true that they were not supposed to kill the Autobots-the humans were fair game, but as the Autobots were protecting them it seemed like there would not be any human deaths either-in this confrontation, they were allowed to take out their anger on the Autobots as much as they could, and Howlback was ready and willing to do so. She ignored Salvo, hurrying on past the point where the black-armored mech was fighting the Autobot named Sunstreaker. Although she normally would have helped the Second-in-Command, at the moment she was too focused to be distracted by fighting another Autobot. She was looking for one Autobot to fight and one Autobot only.<p>

Howlback found it incredibly frustrating that she would not be able to get complete revenge now, but if what Cyclonus said was true, the real battle would come soon after this. It would not be a diversionary fight, but a proper slaughter. She would be able to extend the punishment and make the Autobot suffer for what he had done to her and her family. Her father and two of her brothers were dead because of him. Because of _him_, she was all alone.

She wanted to kill him now, but she knew she wasn't allowed to, for the sake of ensuring Cyclonus's plan was carried out smoothly, with no complications.

So this would just be a sample of what was to come, and it would have to satisfy her until she was able to properly get the job done.

Howlback might not be able to kill Bumblebee today, but she sure as the _Pit_ would let him know that she would in the future.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee found himself in a furious tussle with Bullseye. He recognized the red mech as the Decepticon who had broken his right leg in the base attack, but he hadn't known what his name was until he'd heard it mentioned by Diesel the next day. Bullseye, it appeared, had remembered him as well. Of course, most of the Decepticons knew him as the reason the Decepticons had lost the All-Spark in Tyger Pax, and, of course, Bullseye was no exception to that.<p>

"I see you got the use of your leg back, runt," the Decepticon taunted, forgoing hand-to-had combat as he formed his plasma cannon and pointed it at the young Autobot. "I can fix that."

_Not likely!_ Bumblebee thought fiercely, forming his own cannon and firing at Bullseye before the red mech could do the same, resulting in the Decepticon falling back with a sharp cry of pain. _You didn't sneak up on me this time, I was ready for you!_ He'd noticed that Bullseye preferred to insult and attack his opponents when they were at a disadvantage already, and that, despite the fact that he was strong, he lost control when he got angry, making it easier to avoid his attacks. The scout had every intention to use that to his advantage now. He was fighting to protect his family and his home and would not let Bullseye render him unable to do anything to protect those he cared about again.

Bullseye glared at the young Autobot, incredulity in his optics. No one ever fired on him first or dodged his attacks! Bumblebee would pay for making the red mech look like a fool. Snarling curses in Cybertronian, Bullseye launched himself at Bumblebee, determined to get him back for striking first, but the scout dodged nimbly to one side, turned around, and fired again. Bullseye went down with another curse, but this time, when he got back up, he didn't attack Bumblebee again, instead moving to engage some of the nearby humans. He had no desire to be made to look like a fool again, and humans were easier to squash that a fellow Cybertronian.

Bumblebee moved to follow after Bullseye; he wasn't going to let the bad-tempered red mech take out his anger on the others, and would help his friends as best as he could. He could see that Optimus was making his way towards Cyclonus, and felt hopeful. Optimus would end the fight, Bumblebee knew that he would, but every bit of help that could be given was needed before that happened.

The young Autobot hadn't even taken one step forward to help the others when he saw Howlback rushing towards him. He barely had time to register her attack as she leapt towards him with a snarl, swiping her claws at his optics, obviously hoping to damage them so that he would be unable to see. Bumblebee shielded his faceplate just in time, feeling the feline Decepticon's claws slash into the armor that covered his left forearm instead. Pain shot through his arm, and he felt a slight sense of panic, feeling the Energon flowing out of the injury as the Cassette dug her claws in further and began to tear at his armor, trying to do as much damage as she possibly could. He instinctively swung his arm out, just barely managing to dislodge her from his armor in doing so. Howlback twisted herself around in midair to land on her feet, shooting a glare of pure, unbridled hatred at the young Autobot.

"Do you remember Ravage and Laserbeak, Autobot? Do you remember Soundwave? Do you remember killing them?" She snarled, her voice full of pain and rage. "I remember. I remember them, and I remember what you did to them. And I'm here to see that you're going to _pay_ for it!"

She leapt towards him again, but before she got close, a silver blade swung into her, knocking her backwards, forcing her to rapidly readjust her jump so that she could land on her feet again.

Bumblebee looked to his right to see Sideswipe standing there, pointing one of his blades at Howlback threateningly.

"I'm sure he remembers Soundwave and the others, Decepticon. But you seem to have conveniently forgotten how he killed Ravage in self-defense, and Laserbeak to protect his friends. You also forgot that Soundwave was going to kill Bumblebee when he was defenseless. Bumblebee fought back once he was able, again in self-defense. His actions were justified. Do yourself a favor, and stick to how things really happened."

Howlback bared her fangs at both Sideswipe and Bumblebee. "Get fragged, Autobot! You think you know what this is about? You know absolutely _nothing!_"

Before either Sideswipe or Bumblebee could reply, a sudden hush filled the small clearing around the cave. The fighting had stopped, both sides halting their battles, as they watched what was taking place near the once sealed-up cave, waiting to see what the outcome would be, as it would determine whether further fighting was necessary. Even Howlback turned to look in spite of herself, her grudge against Bumblebee momentarily forgotten as both she and the two Autobots she had been fighting took in the scene before them.

Optimus had finally reached Cyclonus. Once again he looked evenly at the Decepticon leader, although, this time, he made no move to disarm himself, letting Cyclonus know what he meant to do if the purple-armored mech did not see reason.

Cyclonus brought his hands up and clapped slowly, condescendingly. "Well, well. Wonderfully done, well-fought, all of you. You made this distraction quite entertaining, as well as allowed us to burn off a lot of our anger. Oh, we still have plenty to unleash on you, but that will have to wait for another day." He shot a darkly amused look at Optimus. "Well, you managed to fight your way through to me, Optimus. I suppose I should indulge you with whatever it is you want now. Do you wish to give us another lecture of Autobot propaganda, Optimus, or have you realized by now that we don't care what you have to say?"

"I very much wish that you would see reason and end this now, peacefully," Optimus replied firmly, ignoring Cyclonus's once again mockingly civil tone. "But what has just occurred has made me realize that will never happen as long as you intend to carry on with your plans."

"My plans?" Cyclonus questioned. "Do you really know what my plans are, Optimus? Well, yes, we have what we wanted to get from here, but now, we want to leave Earth. We'll be back, of course we will, and when that happens we will want to fight, to put an end to this war once and for all, but until then, we will leave you alone."

"You want to leave?" Prowl asked, from where he stood relatively close to Optimus. "Why is it that I have a hard time believing that?"

"Let me handle this, Prowl," Optimus reprimanded, though he did not look away from Cyclonus.

Prowl gave a reluctant nod. "Yes, Prime."

"So, you say that you wish to leave this planet," Optimus said evenly. "But, at the same time, you also insist that you will be back to fight again. That fight will no doubt cause harm and suffering to those living on this planet, as all our previous battles here have. So why should I allow you to leave?"

"Because if you do, we will leave now. Peacefully. When we come back, we will even go so far as to let you choose the sight of our final confrontation. That's accommodating, isn't it?" His expression hardened. "Because it's the best you'll get from us. If you disagree, we'll attack the human cities one by one, starting with the most populous, until you come and face us. So, would you rather fight in a place of your choosing, or would you rather let us devastate the human cities and kill the pathetic insects in droves until you decided to fight us in whatever city we will currently be in, which will only cause the loss of more?"

Optimus looked to Prowl and Will. While he himself did not trust what it was that Cyclonus was proposing, he knew this could not be his decision alone. He needed their input on what the risks of accepting the Decepticon's offer would be.

"I don't trust him at all," Will said in a low voice. "This deal is coming from a Decepticon, and when you keep that in mind, it's too good to be true. Of course, that's not saying much, because even if we didn't know that, it's still obvious it's a terrible choice when you look at what they plan on doing anyway."

"I agree," Prowl replied, nodding. "Even if we agree, you know he won't keep his word. They'll most likely raze the human cities, just for the sake of carrying out some violence, no matter what we decide. We could agree or not agree to this and I believe the outcome would be the same."

"I know," Optimus said heavily. While it was true that he had trusted Firestorm and Scattershot-both former Decepticons-in what they had to say, they had never given him any legitimate reason to doubt their honesty. Cyclonus, on the other hand, was a true Decepticon. He didn't have any sense of honor, and could not be trusted to keep any promises he made. Optimus knew that Cyclonus would do whatever it took to see Megatron return and a Decepticon victory. Lying to the Autobots and their human allies was a very clear way to do that. He looked back towards the cave entrance and could see that Cyclonus was watching them, waiting for them to come to a decision. The smug and arrogant look on the Decepticon's faceplate let Optimus know that the intuition of both his friends and himself was correct. Cyclonus might claim otherwise, but he would not honor any promise he made to them.

"You are both right." Optimus returned his attention to Prowl and Will. "This does seem like the peaceful solution we have been trying to reach, but I can see truthfully that it is not. There will be a violent final confrontation with the Decepticons no matter what we decide. Even though he says he will let us choose where it takes place, I, like you, do not believe he is being truthful when he tells us that. I am afraid we must-"

Before Optimus could finish what he had been going to say, a roar of an engine cut him off, and Firestorm suddenly landed in the clearing close by. The old Seeker didn't take notice of the continued Decepticon presence in the area as he launched into a rushed explanation of what he and Silverbolt had found.

"Optimus Prime, we were carrying out your orders, but when we were flying, I picked up a distress signal, and when we followed it, we found…"

A crash from the treeline interrupted the former Decepticon, and those present turned to Silverbolt pushing his way past a newly-fallen tree-revealing the source of the crash-before the Aerialbot turned around to help someone unseen into view.

When Silverbolt turned back around to face the clearing again, Optimus saw what the silver-armored mech had been helping, and what it was the two flight-capable Cybertronians had found.

No, not what. _Who_.

Standing in front of Silverbolt where two Autobots that the Prime and the others had thought had been lost two years ago, and while seeing them again was a shock, it also was a source of hope. Optimus knew that with Cyclonus and the Decepticons still in the clearing, the Autobots and the human soldiers were not out of danger just yet, but now, they had two allies added to their number.

Arcee and Chromia had found their way back to the Autobots.


	20. Three Minus One

**A/N: **_The only reason I was able to get this chapter out relatively soon after the last one is because I knew it was going to be one of the shorter chapters, basically only tying up some of the loose ends of the last chapter-some, not all. That, and the fact that listening to the Wreck-It-Ralph soundtrack seems to boost my creativity._

_While I still say Optimus is the hardest character to write for, now I'm having difficulties with Arcee and Chromia as well, but that's probably just because I don't know them as characters in this story yet. That will change, though!_

_This chapter is based on prequel comic events but I'm changing some things to make it fit better. Besides, I'm not sure the comics are considered 100% canon, anyway._

_I'm also going to say right here and now that since Ironhide and Chromia are NOT Bumblebee's actual creators, him having a crush on Arcee (Chromia's little sister) is JUST. FINE. And there is nothing wrong with it. He is adopted and not actually related to her. DON'T FREAK OUT ABOUT IT, IT IS OKAY._

_Another thing I would like to mention is that the cast for this story-both humans and Transformers-is set. The cast has been set ever since I first wrote the outline for this story. No more characters will be added. I know where I'm going with these characters and I don't want to have to change the story to fit a character that has no place in it. So while I do like character suggestions…they won't influence who's in this story. Sorry! _

_This chapter still has a fair bit of angst on the Autobot side, but we'll be temporarily moving back into happier territory next chapter, don't worry._

_One last thing: a minor edit has been made to the previous chapter. It's nothing more than a couple of added sentences addressing where Salvo was during the fight, but you should still go back an d check it out._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Nineteen-Three Minus One**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 7,048**

* * *

><p>IN SPITE OF THE JOY AND RELIEF he felt at seeing the two Autobots that he and the others had believed to be dead for two years alive, Optimus Prime was able to see that the reunion was not as wonderful as it seemed. Chromia was being supported by Arcee, and she looked very weak. As for Arcee, besides the obvious exhaustion on her faceplate, the younger femme looked to be in far better condition that her older sister, but even that was not saying much, as her exhaustion seemed to be causing her to just barely remain upright as well. The armor of both femmes bore the tell-tale signs of being badly damaged and repaired without the proper skill of a medic. Seeing this, the Autobot leader felt a hint of anxious worry, which was heightened by the fact that he knew that both femmes were also suffering from broken Spark bonds, which was a dangerous thing to be afflicted with when there was no medic trained in such manners near to help you. There was also no telling what <em>other<em> unseen injuries or medical conditions these two were suffering from after being lost for so long. They had to get both Arcee and Chromia back to the base and into Ratchet's care as soon as possible.

"Oh, now what's _this_?" Cyclonus's derisive voice rang out, interrupting the silence that had reigned ever since Silverbolt had helped Chromia and Arcee into the clearing, and bringing the attention of all those present back to the Decepticons and the halted battle. Both Arcee and Chromia tensed when they noticed the Decepticons, but did not move from where they had entered the clearing. The Decepticon leader looked from Optimus to the new arrivals and back, sadistic amusement in his expression. "Now this is definitely an interesting surprise, Optimus Prime. You've brought two more Autobots into the fight, and they don't look like they'll last very long. Maybe I should change my ruling against killing any of you just for them; they don't look too well off in the first place. I'd be doing them a favor by putting them out of their misery. What do you think?"

All of the Autobots and humans present tensed at Cyclonus's words, and Firestorm and Silverbolt moved to stand protectively in from of Arcee and Chromia. Normally, such actions would not be necessary as the two femmes were capable warriors and could take care of themselves, but it was obvious that they were currently in no condition to fight-Cyclonus was right in that regard.

"Cyclonus, if you even _try_ to do anything to them, I promise you that you will regret it," Optimus warned, his voice tight with barely-controlled anger at the Decepticon's words.

Cyclonus snorted. "As entertaining as it would be to see you try, Optimus, you needn't worry; I'm just enjoying toying with you. Our interests lie elsewhere at the moment, as you well know, and you're in no position to threaten us, anyway. Besides, I wouldn't _dream_ of interfering with your reuniting with those two femmes, and we need…wait. Who's _that_?"

Cyclonus was looking at Arcee and Chromia with an incredulous expression on his faceplate. Optimus turned to see what it was that had caught the Decepticon's attention, just in time to see blur of bright purple duck out of sight behind Arcee's shoulder.

"_Ratbat?"_ Howlback said, stunned disbelief and an emotion Optimus could not identify present in her voice. The feline Decepticon was still standing near Sideswipe and Bumblebee, but she was completely ignoring the two Autobots now as she focused on the small Decepticon that _she_ had thought dead for two years, unconsciously taking a step forward.

The Decepticon spy? Ratbat, one of Soundwave's cassettes? Why would he be with Arcee and Chromia? Optimus frowned, but when the purple shape reappeared, looking back over Arcee's shoulder, small and bat-like in appearance, with bright-red optics, there was no question over his identity. It _was_ Ratbat.

_Of course,_ Optimus realized suddenly, remembering the details of just what Arcee and Chromia had been doing with they had disappeared. _They were fighting Soundwave and his cassettes when we lost all contact with them. We assumed that they had gone offline, but their signals must have been damaged in the fight, and that is why we were unable to locate them. Ratbat must have somehow been stranded with them…perhaps he was injured in the same way._

But why was the little Decepticon still with them, and why had he tried to hide when Cyclonus had noticed his presence? Optimus pushed those thoughts from his processor. He would have to find that out later; no doubt Arcee and Chromia would tell him. Right now, the assembled Decepticons were more important to focus on, even though, with Ratbat's reveal, there was even more of a stretched-out stand-off than there had originally been.

"Ratbat," Howlback said again, her voice sounding strained with the same unidentifiable emotion. "Ratbat, why are you with _them_? Why are you with the Autobots? You're a Decepticon, come back to us!"

The purple-armored cassette hesitated, looking at the other Decepticons-a particular nervousness was obvious in his optics and demeanor when he saw Cyclonus and Scourge-before looking up at Arcee questioningly, almost as if asking for confirmation that it would be alright for him to return to his own faction.

"You held up your end of the deal, Ratbat, and we held up ours. We're back with our own again. We've finished what we set out to do and we don't need to stay together anymore. You can go back to the Decepticons, if it's what you really want to do." Arcee's voice was quiet and tired, and barely audible.

Ratbat still seemed unsure, and looked back at the other Decepticons nervously.

"Ratbat," Howlback repeated once more, looking at her fellow cassette with-was it desperation? Optimus was not entirely sure, but the feline Decepticon did seem to sincerely want Ratbat to rejoin the others.

At Howlback's last call, Ratbat appeared to have made his decision, as he immediately launched himself off of Arcee's shoulder and flew towards the other Decepticons, landing on Howlback's back. The feline Decepticon looked questioningly at him, but Ratbat shook his head, casting a terrified glance in Cyclonus's direction. Howlback nodded in silent agreement, backing off from the assembled Autobots as she moved to rejoin the rest of the Decepticons. Cyclonus looked from the two reunited cassettes to the two Autobot femmes and back, realization dawning in his optics as he pieced together what must have happened.

"So there was a deal between the three of you. I see. Let me guess-you only agreed to help each other as long as it was mutually beneficial, and now that you've all found your way back to where you each belonged, there's no reason for such an agreement to stand anymore." Cyclonus sneered condescendingly, looking down at Ratbat with disgust. The smaller Decepticon shuddered and huddled against Howlback, looking even more nervous than before. Cyclonus seemed to take Ratbat's actions as confirmation of his words, continuing to look contemptuously at the small Decepticon for a few moments. "How interesting. I'm sure I'll find out all of the details later." He returned his attention to Optimus, remaining silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, this has all been a most _lovely_ distraction, but we're on a tight schedule, and I'd hate for everything to be ruined after we've worked so hard to get it just right. So, what is your answer, Optimus Prime? Will you let us leave the planet peacefully and fight us when we return later, or shall we Decepticons take the final confrontation into our own hands?"

"If we agreed, you would attack the human settlements anyway." Optimus Prime's voice was firm, and he met Cyclonus's arrogant gaze evenly. "No matter how much you claim you would grant us a final battle that would not result in any innocent casualties, you would never do so. We know you too well. You are lying to us."

"Your desire to protect the weak blinds you very thoroughly in some cases, but not here Optimus. It seems you are not as big of a fool as I thought you were," Cyclonus growled. "How unfortunate. It doesn't matter, though, not in the long run, anyway. We're going to carry this out and there's not a single thing you or anyone else, even your pathetic human pets, can do to stop it."

Without any further pretense, Cyclonus quickly activated his plasma cannon and fired in the direction of Arcee and Chromia. A combined cry of shock went up from the Autobots and humans at Cyclonus's actions, and Optimus quickly moved to intercept, but knew he would not make it in time.

Fortunately, however, Firestorm and Silverbolt were still next to the two femmes, and both flying Cybertronians rushed forward, intercepting the blast and deflecting it away to the best of their combined abilities before it could reach its intended targets. Stray bits of plasma fire from the weapons blast shot off to each side, hitting some of the tress closest to the clearing, splintering them in two and igniting small fires, but Arcee and Chromia had not been hit, and Silverbolt and Firestorm were battered but had escaped serious damage. Unfortunately, several more energy blasts followed the initial attack, giving the Autobots and human soldiers no time to recover or regroup as they were forced to dodge and deflect the attacks as best as they could.

"Decepticons, retreat!" Cyclonus's voice rang out over the sounds of weapons fire.

Optimus turned rapidly-if Cyclonus escaped, it would only make matters worse, and he could not stand by and just allow that-but the Decepticons were already fleeing the clearing, Salvo leading the flight-capable ones into the sky while those with ground-based alternate modes were taking off into the forest on the side opposite of the Autobots' position, and with the signal dampeners they now carried, it would be very difficult to track them down. There had been little hope in the beginning if the Autobots and their human allies coming out of this encounter better off than they had been when they had entered it, but knowing and seeing that they had failed to prevent the Decepticons from obtaining what they wanted made the situation seem even more hopeless.

The Decepticons had seen to it that everything would work out in their favor, and Optimus knew that the consequences would be severe.

In spite of the hopelessness of the situation, Optimus still headed in Cyclonus's direction as quickly as possible. He had to make one last attempt to end this. He knew that in all likelihood it would not be successful, but he also knew that he had to try regardless. At the very least, he might be able to get one last bit of information out of Cyclonus, which might help him realize how the Decepticons planned to revive Megatron.

Cyclonus liked to boast, and, with a Decepticon victory at hand, he might let slip more than he intended.

Optimus knew he could use that to come up with a way to fix the problems caused by his failure to realize what was happening in the first place.

That offered a little hope, but it _was_ hope, and the Autobots and humans needed it right now.

* * *

><p>Cyclonus fired one more blast into the clearing, looking over his shoulder to make sure that all of the other Decepticons had fled-it wouldn't do for one of them to be left behind, where they could potentially be captured by the Autobots, since they had a talent for turning their Decepticon captives into traitors who gave up important secrets-and then turned, grinning triumphantly, to look at Optimus Prime. He knew it was over, and he could see that Optimus had likewise come to the same conclusion. However, the Prime was still stubbornly clinging to the belief that he could end everything anyway.<p>

Cyclonus looked at the Autobot leader in amusement. _You still think that you can stop this from happening? You are a fool, Optimus Prime._

"Cyclonus, this must end now."

"Oh, it must?" Cyclonus mused. "Ending it completely right _now_ would ruin the fun." The Decepticon prepared to initiate his Transform sequence so that he could make his escape before Optimus attacked, but he still could not resist making one last parting taunt at the Autobot leader.

"Farewell, Optimus Prime. Enjoy what little time we will be off of this planet, because we _will_ return soon enough. You see, the end has only just _begun_."

Optimus quickly fired his ion blaster at the Decepticon, but Cyclonus simply jumped up in the air, Transformed into his Cybertronian jet mode, and shot away, into the sky, deftly dodging the weapons blast as he did so. He knew that Optimus might send the two fliers the Autobots had on-hand-Silverbolt and that old traitor Firestorm-to attempt to track him and the other Decepticons down, but he wasn't concerned about it. They all had signal dampeners, so they would be able to hide quite easily if they had to.

Once they arrived at the rendezvous point, he would question Ratbat about what he had been doing with those two Autobot femmes. If the cassette didn't have a good enough reason, well, he _had_ been gone for two years. No one would miss him if he were gone again.

Ratbat's arrival and future interrogation aside, the Decepticon leader was thrilled with how well things had gone. They now had possession of Lord Megatron's remains, and the Autobots and their human pets had been left in complete disarray. And while they had not killed anyone-human or Autobot-in the battle, many had been injured. Some, hopefully severely, which meant that Optimus would place the value of treating those injured above tracking down the Decepticons, soft-sparked fool that he was. In any case, the Decepticons had made it perfectly clear that they were holding back during the fight, which was exactly what Cyclonus had wanted them to do. It was a perfect message to the Autobots.

_This is just a sample. The real slaughter is coming._

And Lord Megatron would be the one to lead it.

* * *

><p>"Do you want us to go after them, sir?" Silverbolt asked immediately, taking a step forward as Optimus walked back to the assembled Autobots and humans. "I know that they have signal dampeners, but if we move quickly in both the sky and on the ground, we might be able to-"<p>

The Prime shook his head, voice heavy with weariness as he replied. "No. Our priority right now is to take care of those who are wounded. We must return to base." Optimus pushed aside the guilt and regret he had over how the battle had turned out-nothing could be done to change what had happened- as he focused on what was important _now_. He looked over the group of Autobots and humans; many were injured, but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening. The human medics were already seeing to the wounded soldiers, directing those who were able to move easily on their own back to the vehicles they had traveled in and helping those who weren't to do the same.

As for the Autobots, Silverbolt and Firestorm both had damaged armor from the plasma blasts they had absorbed, but other than that they seemed to be fine. Bumblebee was leaking Energon from gashes in his arm, and Prowl, Red Alert, and the others all had similar injuries. None of the injuries they had received in the battle were serious, and all the damage they had sustained would be taken care of quickly once they were back on base and Ratchet could see to them; they were fine otherwise and would be able to make the journey back.

Arcee and Chromia, on the other hand, were in need of immediate medical attention, beyond that of what they could get here from Red Alert and Firestorm-the two mechs present who knew the most about Cybertronian battlefield first aid- and, as such, it was urgent that they be taken back to the base in Ohio as quickly as possible. Prowl was looking after them now, with Bumblebee hovering close by-the other Autobots were worried about the two femmes as well, but the Security Officer had shooed all of them away, as Arcee and Chromia didn't need to be crowded at the moment-but there was little more they could do than Firestorm and Red Alert could.

Fortunately, they had the means of transporting them back to the base relatively quickly.

"Silverbolt, are you in any condition to fly?" Optimus questioned the silver mech, coming to the decision of what must be done.

"Of course, sir." Silverbolt nodded. "I'm not hurt too badly."

"Good. I need you to transport Chromia, Arcee, Prowl, and myself back to the base as fast as you can." While this might have been a tall order if they were debating on the carrying capacity of a normal C-17, the Aerialbot would not find transporting four fellow Cybertronians a problem-as long as Optimus remained in vehicle mode and Prowl remained in robot mode, there would be room for all four of them inside. It would be a little cramped, yes, but there would be room. Of course, that meant that he would have to have his trailer pulled back to the base by one of the human-driven vehicles, but he knew that the humans would be fine with that arrangement.

Silverbolt nodded, and stepped forward to a part of the clearing where he would have enough room to Transform into his alternate mode. Seeing that, Optimus turned his attention to the humans present.

"Colonel Lennox, are there any soldiers that are severely injured and need to be taken to the base immediately?"

"Not very many, thank God. But there are some," Will confirmed, gesturing in the direction of one of the parked vehicles, where some of the more severely injured soldiers were being tended to by the medics.

Optimus looked at Firestorm. As the only other flier among their number capable of transporting humans when in his alternate mode and with Silverbolt already carrying as many passengers as he safely could, the old Seeker was the only one who could transport their injured human allies back home. "Firestorm, are you able to fly, as well?"

Firestorm nodded, his determination to help evident in his optics as he stepped forward. "Yes, Optimus Prime. My armor is more resistant to plasma fire than most. I am also not at all too injured to fly."

"Very well. I want you to transport those human soldiers that are the most severely wounded back to the base." Optimus was not blind to the nervous looks some of the human soldiers cast in Firestorm's direction at his announcement. It wasn't surprising; while most of the soldiers now trusted the former Decepticon, there were still a few who remained unsure about him. But those few would have to place their nervousness aside. Firestorm was the only one who could get them to the base quickly enough for them to get the full medical attention they needed.

"What about the Decepticons?" Will asked in a low voice. "I know there's not much we can do _now_, but…"

"I regret that I was unable to stop Cyclonus from escaping," Optimus admitted, his voice still full of weariness. "At the moment, however, we are in no condition to go chasing after them and, as long as they have signal dampeners, we would be unable to properly track them. But I believe we may not have to, in any case. As they wanted to leave the planet, whatever it is they hope to gain from this must be acquirable elsewhere, most likely on another planet. However, the Decepticons are known for not delaying battle when they know that they have the upper hand. Now that they have gained something that _could_ put them back at an advantage, I believe that they have a way to get to their destination and back here quickly, and that they will not wait too long before they move to confront us again. Before he fled, Cyclonus said that they would not be gone for long, and even though Decepticons are not truthful, I believe this time is an exception. We will just have to be ready for the confrontation when the time comes."

"As we've always been." Will nodded. He wasn't happy with the situation either, but he knew Optimus was right. They couldn't do anything about what had happened. But they would be ready for them the next time they decided to show themselves.

Will moved off to help the injured soldiers as Firestorm moved to join Silverbolt-the silver mech already in his C-17 alternate mode-at the part of the clearing where there was enough room from him to Transform. Seeing that his orders were being carried out, Optimus finally moved towards the fallen tree that Arcee and Chromia were resting by. Prowl was still standing nearby, as was Bumblebee.

Bumblebee was obviously very worried about Chromia-the concerned looks he kept casting in her direction were proof of that-but as she was resting with her optics shuttered, he was avoiding disturbing her. The young scout and Arcee appeared to be conversing-not surprising, seeing as how the two of them were good friends-but broke off when Optimus came to a stop in front of them.

"Optimus," Arcee said after a moment of silence. "I'm sorry. If we hadn't arrived when we did, Firestorm and Silverbolt might have gotten back here sooner, and you might have been able to…"

Optimus shook his head. "The battle was already over by the time you arrived. There was nothing more to be done, even if Silverbolt and Firestorm had been here. In any case, if Firestorm and Silverbolt had not been in the area where _you_ were at the time, your distress signal would have gone unnoticed and we would have never found you." He looked at Arcee, then turned his attention to Chromia, offering the two femmes a faint, relieved smile. "It is a relief to see the two of you alive and back with us."

"It's good to be back with everyone," Chromia said, her voice weak and barely audible, unshuttering her optics and looking at the Autobot leader. "After what's happened over the past two years, we thought…"

"Chromia, you need to rest," Arcee told her sister worriedly, casting a concerned look at Optimus before turning her attention back to Chromia. "You need to save your strength. Let me tell them what happened."

"Silverbolt will be transporting you back to our base," Optimus informed the two sisters. "Prowl and I will be accompanying you, and you can tell us all that has happened then. There is much that we need to tell you, as well."

Arcee nodded and stood, helping Chromia up and, firmly insisting that she could support her sister by herself despite her own exhaustion, accompanied Optimus in the direction of the waiting Silverbolt.

Bumblebee made to follow them, but Prowl stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Optimus and I are the only ones going with them, Bumblebee. I know you're worried, but we'll take care of them now. Go and see Red Alert about that arm so that you won't lose too much Energon before Ratchet can patch you up properly."

The scout was visually upset by this, but reluctantly nodded, watching as Prowl went to join Optimus and the others. Prowl was right. Bumblebee _was_ worried about both of them, for various reasons. Arcee and Chromia were both very important to him, but in different ways. Chromia helped raise him, and while she hadn't been involved in his upbringing as much as Ironhide had been, due to being stationed on another part of Cybertron most of the time, she was still the closest thing to a mother he had. And Arcee had always been one of his closest friends, and he also…well, he'd always sort of really liked her-not that he'd ever actually_ told _her, of course; she was older than he was and he was afraid she didn't feel the same way towards him. Their roles in his life were different, but they were still both part of Bumblebee's Cybertronian family and he cared about them a lot, just as much as he cared for his family that he had on Earth.

When the two of them had disappeared without a trace two years ago, Bumblebee had been devastated. While it had been obvious then that Chromia, at least, had most likely been alive-unless something had happened to disrupt their Sparkbond (which was rare but possible), Ironhide would have known immediately if his Sparkmate had been killed-Arcee's fate had been less certain. They had tried everything to find them and had not been successful. Ironhide had never given up hope that Chromia would find her way back and spent every moment that he could trying to find her, but…well, several things had happened and, after Chicago, they had all finally accepted that the two femmes were never coming back.

But now they _were_ back, they were actually back and they were _alive_, and Optimus and Prowl would see to it that they would be fine until Ratchet could take care of them. And Ratchet would be able to treat whatever injuries they had. They'd be fine, and he'd get to see them later. Seeing Arcee and Chromia again more than made up for what had happened in the fight with the Decepticons.

He thought of his family waiting back at the base, feeling relieved that Sam had not managed to tag along to this battle; even though the Decepticons had held back, Sam still could have gotten hurt if he'd come. Since none of the Autobots or humans who had come to participate in the fight had contacted the base yet, Sam and Carly and the others were probably worried about what had happened. Once they got back to the base, he'd have to tell them, as well as Wheelie and Brains, what had happened. Bumblebee knew that they'd be worried about what the outcome of the fight implied would happen, but he'd reassure them in any way he could, even though he was worried about it himself. But while he did feel nervous and worried about the fact that the Decepticons had, for all intents and purposes, won the battle, he knew that Optimus would handle the outcome like he always did. He trusted the Autobot leader to make things right and believed firmly that he would. Despite his faith in Optimus, however, Bumblebee still hoped the Decepticons would really leave Earth now that they had what they wanted, that they had been honest about that, just so those he cared about would be safe.

The young scout would also tell his family about Arcee and Chromia being okay, seeing as how they'd most likely be rushed to the medbay before anyone else could see them and not be allowed to leave until Ratchet was completely sure that they were alright. Carly didn't know the two femmes, but Sam did, he knew how important they were to Bumblebee, and the young Autobot knew he'd be happy they were alive, too. Wheelie would probably tease him about Arcee, because he was annoying like that, and Brains would probably join in, but Bumblebee wouldn't really mind as he knew they _would_ just be teasing him.

And, on the other side of his family, he had to introduce Blaster to Arcee and Chromia, once they were allowed to leave the medbay; Bumblebee knew they'd love the little Sparkling, and he knew that Blaster would like them, too.

So maybe they _had_ lost today's fight, but some good had come out of it, anyway.

Bumblebee took comfort in knowing that, and headed towards Red Alert to have his injured arm looked at, so that he wouldn't be leaking Energon all over the road on the trip home.

* * *

><p>Just like Arcee had pointed out, Chromia was truly in no condition to help her sister in the telling of what had happened to the two of them during the time they had been missing. So, after being helped onto a makeshift Autobot-sized stretcher that was attached to one of the sides of the interior of Silverbolt's alt mode, the blue-armored femme once again leaned back and shuttered her optics in an attempt to get some rest, too weak to do anything else but merely listen at the moment. Arcee sat next to her, with Prowl close by. Optimus took up the rest of the space in his vehicle mode. As the Prime had predicted, it was a little crowded, but they were able to fit.<p>

Even though Optimus was anxious to hear what it was that Arcee had to say and knew that Prowl was as well, they also both knew better than to pressure her into talking. There was no doubt that the past two years had been difficult and painful for both Arcee and Chromia, and no good would come out of forcing Arcee to tell their story before she was ready. They rode in silence for some time, none of them making an effort to begin a conversation as Silverbolt flew them back to the base.

Finally, Arcee broke the silence, looking hesitantly at Optimus and Prowl.

"It's so strange, being back with other Autobots again. Chromia and I…we were beginning to think that we wouldn't ever find our way back."

"We tried to find you," Optimus assured, willing them to understand, hoping that neither of them felt that the Autobots had given up on them from the very beginning. Their failure to find them when they had first been lost still weighed heavily on his processor. "But we could not pick up your signals. No matter what frequency we used, we could not find where you were. After the battle with we had with Shockwave, it was as if you simply did not exist."

"It was Soundwave's doing," Arcee replied. "We were fighting with him when this all started, and he was jamming all communications during our fight so we couldn't call for help, but that wasn't all he did. We didn't realize it until later, but he fired some sort of sonic weapon at use that destroyed our signals."

"What happened during that fight?" Optimus asked.

Arcee vented, then continued. "When we discovered what it was the Decepticons were really doing, Soundwave and the usual lot of his cassettes-you know, Ravage, Buzzsaw, and the others-attacked to prevent us from warning you about what Shockwave was up to, about how he had a Driller that he was going to use in battle, and that he was planning on attacking everyone at the Diego Garcia base. Elita managed to get away to try and warn you while we held Soundwave and the others off, but…" Arcee made a sound that was very much like a strangled sob.

"I know," Optimus said, pain evident in his voice. He felt the faint echoes of that same pain in his Spark; the same pain he had felt ever since Elita had been killed by Shockwave. Spark pain was always a result of losing a Sparkbond, no matter what kind it was. Optimus knew that Arcee and Chromia felt a similar pain from Elita's death. Not quite like his, though, as it was a Sibling bond the three femmes shared, the bond Elita had with him had been a Sparkmate bond.

Losing a Sparkbond of any kind always caused extreme pain and those who experience it needed to undergo special medical treatment to deal with it. Arcee and Chromia had not been able to get such treatment, not with being on their own for two years after Elita had been killed. And to make matters worse, not only had the two of them suffered from losing their Sibling bond with Elita, but Chromia had lost her bond with Ironhide. Losing a Sparkmate bond could be life-threatening if the damage was not treated soon after the bond was severed. Ratchet had treated Optimus for this, but Chromia had not had a medic to turn to when she had suffered in the same way. Knowing this, Optimus could see that it was a miracle Chromia was still alive, and knew that it was more important than ever that she be taken to Ratchet as soon as possible.

_Silverbolt, how long do you think it will take for you to reach the base_? Optimus asked the flier over the comm, as Arcee took time to calm herself down, holding the hand Chromia had offered her, her older sister having felt her distress and offering what comfort she could in her weakened state.

_I believe I can get us there in about an hour, sir,_ Silverbolt replied.

_Please hurry._

_Yes, sir._

Optimus refocused his attention on Arcee, feeling pained and sympathetic as she straightened back up and continued speaking where she had left off.

"Chromia and I…we _felt_ it when she died. It hurt so much…it was awful. When that happened, Chromia nearly gave up…she wanted to set off explosives that would take Soundwave out with her, but I was able to pull her away just in time. I knew that we couldn't just give up when Elita had sacrificed herself to warn everyone else about what was going on. After we were clear of the explosions, Chromia realized I was right. I was hurt worse than she was at the time, so I couldn't really travel any further, so we stayed nearby. Soundwave and his cassettes were nowhere to be seen by then, so we figured it was safe to stay there until we got help. Chromia tried to contact the base, to get someone to come and pick us up, but no one answered. At first, we though the communications were still jammed, and while we would later learn they were not working at all, it was too late. Even if we had communications then, no one would have answered. There was no one left at the base… right?" She looked up for confirmation. "Where there any survivors from the base attack?"

"No," Optimus said heavily. "Shockwave left none alive."

"So we would've been stranded regardless," Arcee said, though she looked stricken at the thought of so many Autobots and humans being wiped out at once. "When we couldn't get a response from the base, we tried contacting you. But we got the same result…nothing. Chromia realized first that we would have to try to make our way back on our own. She took care of my injuries as best as she could, and after that, that's when we started our journey to get back to everyone. It took a long time, because so much happened on the way."

"Where does Ratbat come into this?" Prowl questioned, speaking up for the first time since Arcee had begun to tell her and Chromia's story. The Security Officer had been quietly listening, but now he wanted to know about the small Decepticon that had been with the two femmes when Silverbolt and Firestorm had found them.

"We found him in the area that the explosives had gone off in," Arcee explained. "His wing was injured in the blast and he fell. Since he couldn't fly, he was left behind. I don't think Soundwave realized that Ratbat was still alive, though. He wasn't giving off a signal either. We found that out by scanning for him and picking up nothing, and he told us that he couldn't feel Soundwave's Cassette connection anymore, either. He wasn't much of a threat to us by himself and he was injured, unable to fight back, so it wouldn't have been right to kill him. Initially we left him alone, but he followed us whenever we were on the move. Eventually, Chromia confronted him about it, and he told us he just wanted to get back to Soundwave, and we were better equipped to travel than he was at the moment. He seemed legitimately scared at being separated from Soundwave…he was almost acting like a Youngling that was separated from his creators. Chromia and I discussed it, and even though we knew it was risky, we decided to work together with Ratbat until we were able to find other Autobots, and, in Ratbat's case, other Decepticons."

Seeing Prowl's incredulous look, Arcee hurriedly continued. "Ratbat's actually somewhat nice when he's not following Soundwave's orders to try to kill you. He was pretty useful to have around, too. He could find Energon for us, he had better sensor capabilities than we did, and he also knew a little bit about how to repair our communicators. We didn't trust him to do the work himself, though; he told us what to do and we did it ourselves. During the entire time we were on our own, though, Ratbat never did anything to hurt us…he just wanted to get back to Soundwave, and he knew that, injured as we were, we were still capable of taking him out if he betrayed us."

Prowl nodded, satisfied with that answer.

"Even with Ratbat's help, though, we knew it was still going to take a long time to fix our signal beacons and communications systems, and until they were ready we wouldn't be able to set off a distress signal, so we kept traveling and looking for signs of everyone else," Arcee continued. "Even though our pace was slow because we still weren't in the best condition, we were actually making pretty good progress, but then…Chromia felt Ironhide die, and she was in so much pain we had to stop. Even though, by that time, it had been a year, we were both still weak from Elita's death, and Chromia could barely handle losing Ironhide, too. I couldn't do anything to help her, either…it made me feel so useless."

"You weren't useless, Arcee," Chromia spoke up then, her voice still faint but sounding a little stronger as she attempted to comfort her sister once again. "You took care of me as well as you could."

"Not well enough," Arcee said sadly. "It was almost a year before you were able to travel again, and you still never got your full strength back."

"I will now," Chromia insisted weakly. "Ratchet will help."

Arcee shook her head, but didn't answer her sister. "It wasn't long after Chromia felt Ironhide die that Ratbat felt the same thing happen to Soundwave, even though he hadn't felt his Cassette bond to Soundwave for a long time. I guess Soundwave dying was enough to jolt the bond back into being active, or working…I'm not really sure. He wasn't hurt as badly by it as Chromia had been by Ironhide dying as it was a different type of bond, but he was still weakened by it. Chromia and I quickly realized that, with Soundwave gone, Ratbat no longer had an exact reason to help us, and I thought he would leave. But he didn't. During the months we stayed in one place so that Chromia could rest, Ratbat fought the pain he was feeling to take the opportunity to fix up an Autobot distress signal for us, though it was a weak one and we would have to be in close proximity to an Autobot for it to be picked up at all. Once we were ready to move again, he had even managed to hijack a radio signal that pointed us in the direction of where the new base was."

Arcee paused for a moment, looking back at Prowl before looking back at Optimus. "He could have left us once he knew Soundwave was dead, but he stayed to help us instead. I think he thought that, with Soundwave dead, he no longer had a place with the Decepticons. He was afraid of what they would do to him for helping us, now that Soundwave wasn't there to protect him-that's why he tried to hide and wasn't eager to go back to them until he saw Howlback; he probably hopes that she will protect him from the other Decepticons' anger. I still don't know what will happen to him now that he's back with the Decepticons, though, but when he was with us he was no different than we were. That's why we decided to let him lead us to you. We followed the signal Ratbat had found and we were lucky enough to arrive in the area just when you were there. If Silverbolt and Firestorm hadn't been flying by when they were, like you said, we would have passed by each other, and never even known it."

"We are fortunate that things have worked out they way they have," Optimus replied. "While the situation and circumstances causing your separation from us and our reunion are less than ideal, I am grateful that everything has worked out and you are both here with us again."

"We are all grateful," Prowl added. Even though he had not been on Earth for the events that Arcee had just told them about, he knew that it was a blessing that the two lost Autobots had found their way back.

"So, what now?" Arcee asked. She looked and sounded drained, both emotionally and physically. Telling her and Chromia's story had taken a lot out of her.

"We are going to arrive at the base in nearly an hour. Once there, Ratchet will see to you both. There is much that you two need to know, but that must wait until after you are rested and healthy."

"A lot has happened since we've been gone, hasn't it, sir?" Arcee asked, looking at the Prime.

Optimus thought of the events of the past two years, of Sentinel, of Chicago, of the Decepticon's defeat, the Sparklings, Firestorm, Scattershot, the recent Decepticon activity, and the great evil that was making its way to Earth and getting closer with every minute.

He vented in exhaustion himself.

"Yes, Arcee. Quite a lot has happened."


	21. Changes

**A/N: **_I apologize for how long it took to get this chapter out. A string of events starting with computer problems followed by spraining my right wrist so bad it was swollen all the way up to my elbow and ending with the AC at my house failing and it being too hot to concentrate on writing are the obstacles that stood in the way of me finishing this when I had planned, but I finally was able to get it done._

_This chapter marks the end of what I consider the first part of the story. As promised, we enter into some happier territory in parts of this chapter, but things are only going to get more intense from here._

_But enough from me, there's an overdue chapter you want to read._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-Changes**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 14,970**

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><p>EARLY IN THE AFTERNOON OF THE DAY following the departure of the group headed out to stop the Decepticons from obtaining Megatron's remains found Ratchet, as always, in the medbay, once again working to organize the medical reports he kept while Beachcomber and First Aid took their recharge naps. This time, however, he was not alone with his Sparkling charges. Scattershot was standing in one corner of the medbay, where the medic could keep an optic on him, nervously watching as Ratchet worked. On a table next to the Decepticon, a cube of Energon lay untouched. Being an efficient multitasker, Ratchet was able to watch Scattershot while also going through the medical reports he had pulled out of his desk. As Computron, Wheelie, and Brains, along with Sam, were currently in a room that had been converted into a Recharge area for the little ones, watching over the other three Sparklings, the job of keeping tabs on the Decepticon prisoner fell to the medic, even though he had other work to do.<p>

As time passed, however, Ratchet found himself believing more and more that keeping a guard over Scattershot was completely unnecessary. The orange-armored Decepticon had a decidedly nervous attitude, and obviously lacked self-confidence, but he did seem sincere and desperate in his wanting to find a way to help the Autobots. His pitiful outward appearance-armor marred by dents and scrapes, which were obviously from old injuries that had either healed without proper medical treatment or treatment that was patchy at best, gave him a somewhat lopsided look, and the healing yet still nasty-looking scar on his left cheek plating-only seemed to emphasize the nervousness and lack of confidence he was visibly displaying. But those observations were not the only reason Ratchet had for his newfound belief and agreement with Optimus Prime that Scattershot wasn't a threat to the Autobots.

Ratchet was already aware that Scattershot had been suffering from memory-lock and had only recently come out of it, as, with no time to tell him in person before leaving to confront the other Decepticons, Optimus had sent him a compressed transmission file containing the details of his earlier conversation with Scattershot after he had left with the others. A scan to make sure that there were no resulting problems from Scattershot's former condition had shown that he was healing properly with no complications-aside from a lingering processor ache that should go away in a day or two-but the medic still could not help feeling sorry for the younger mech for having gone through something so horrible.

He trusted Optimus's judgment about Scattershot, of course, but for Ratchet, the biggest factor that supported Scattershot being trustworthy was how the Sparklings had reacted to him the previous day. Actually, it had been one Sparkling in particular. First Aid, Beachcomber, and Fireflight-Blaster had refused to let Sam put him down at all the previous day, so it was hard to judge his reaction to the Decepticon-had kept their distance from Scattershot, obviously scared and nervous about the mech that was a complete stranger to them, but Trailbreaker had walked right up to him. The oldest Sparkling had solemnly looked Scattershot over for a minute, then went back to the other Sparklings, talking to them in the mixture of clicks and babyish English all the Sparklings used, pointing in the Decepticon's direction as he firmly told them in a serious voice that he was "'kay, not mean". After that, the other Sparklings had stopped being nervous around Scattershot, Trailbreaker's reassurance about the mech being nothing to worry about encouraging them to not be afraid of him anymore, even going so far as to play relatively close to him.

Scattershot, for his part, had initially been very hesitant around the Sparklings, it being painfully obvious that he wanted to help the others look after them but not being sure how to go about actually doing so. He had been genuinely surprised by Trailbreaker's actions, and while he was still a little hesitant even after the Sparklings had accepted him, he had relaxed enough to allow Ratchet to see that he was actually a kind mech-nervous, anxious, with no self-confidence of any kind-but a genuinely kind-sparked Cybertronian who had never been meant to be a Decepticon, one who really wanted to help the Autobots and be accepted as one of them.

All thanks to Trailbreaker, proving his name to be an apt one as he once again took it upon himself to resolve a situation that was making his friends upset, taking the first steps that the others had not been willing to.

_Optimus was right-Trailbreaker's a natural leader. Not surprising, seeing as how Optimus is the one raising him._ Ratchet mused. _And he's perceptive, too. After all, Sparklings can see the true character of someone else far better and easier than a grown Cybertronian can, but he didn't take any time at all to decide that Scattershot was safe to be around._

"That Energon isn't contaminated, you know," The medic said out loud, glancing in Scattershot's direction. "You can drink it."

Scattershot flinched, casting a nervous look at the medic before looking at the cube of Energon that rested on the nearby table. It was meant for him, but he didn't really feel like he could drink it at the moment. "I…I don't feel like having any Energon right now, sir."

Ratchet refocused his full attention on Scattershot at that statement, frowning. "I know for a fact that you have not refueled since the Sparklings were put to bed last night. You need that Energon." Knowing the reason Scattershot was most likely to have for refusing the Energon, he allowed his voice to take on a slightly gentler note. "I know how awful you must feel after remembering what happened to you when you were a Youngling, but making yourself ill by not refueling won't help matters."

"I know, sir," Scattershot replied quietly, giving the medic another nervous look before lowering his gaze back to the Energon cube in question.

"Then drink it."

Scattershot looked at the Energon cube for another minute, then finally took it off the table, drinking the contents of the cube with small, hesitant sips.

Ratchet nodded in satisfaction and returned his attention back to the medical reports scattered on his desk. Since he had the time while waiting for the others to contact him to let him know that they were on their way back, he might as well use it to finally finished organizing these reports.

His comm suddenly coming to life, however, put a stop to any sorting he was preparing to do as he received the message he had been waiting for.

_Ratchet, is the medbay prepared to receive casualties from the battle?_

_Yes, it is, Optimus,_ Ratchet replied immediately. _How far are you from here?_

_Not very far. Silverbolt, Firestorm, Prowl, and myself will be arriving at the base in about thirty minutes. Things went badly for us, old friend._ It was obvious how extremely weary Optimus was, even though the emotion did not carry over through the comm. _But I will tell you more once we arrive. In the meantime, you should make additional preparations-we have the most desperate in their need for medical attention with us. You will need to be ready to treat a Spark damaged from a lost Spark bond._

_A lost…_There was only one possibility for what the Prime had just told him that the medic knew of. _Primus, did one of the twins…?_

_No, both Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are fine. We have been reunited with Chromia and Arcee. Chromia is very weak and needs the treatment immediately. Arcee needs the treatment as well, but her need for it is not as serious as Chromia's._

Ratchet stood up suddenly, ignoring the nervous look Scattershot gave him at seeing his actions. Optimus's words had both surprised and worried him. _Chromia and Arcee? You found them?_

_They found us,_ Optimus replied.

Ratchet vented, relief at knowing the two femmes were alive warring against the worry he felt at knowing what their medical conditions almost certainly were. _I'll bet there's a long and complicated story there._

_Yes, there most certainly is,_ Optimus agreed. _I will tell you once we arrive back at the base._

_All right. _Ratchet began clearing the medical reports off of the desk. He had to get the equipment ready for the treatment that Chromia, and Arcee, to a lesser extent, would need the moment they arrived. _I'll be ready._

_Good. We will see you soon._ The comm cut off.

Ratchet placed the last of the medical reports in his desk, checked to make sure both Beachcomber and First Aid were still in recharge, and once he saw that they were, he turned to Scattershot. "So, you want to help the Autobots in any way you can?"

Scattershot put the now-empty Energon cube down on the table and nodded nervously, but resolutely. "Yes, sir. I want to help."

"Good. The others are going to be back soon and there are two that will need immediate, specialized medical attention. I need to have everything ready when they get here. Now, here's what I need you to get out of those cabinets next to you…"

* * *

><p>Sam had taken advantage of it being time for the Sparklings to have their recharge naps by going to the mess hall to join Carly in getting something to eat. Initially, he had been reluctant to leave-there had been an unspoken agreement between him and Bee that he'd be the one to look after Blaster while the others were gone-but Wheelie, Brains, and Computron had insisted that they could manage by themselves for a little while. Besides, Sam also knew that Bee wouldn't want him to go without eating, anyway.<p>

He still felt a little guilty about leaving Blaster when he had agreed to look after him, though, especially when he thought about Blaster's behavior since Bumblebee had left.

The little Sparkling had been really fussy the yesterday, refusing to let Sam put him down, shoving away his bottle instead of drinking his Energon before he went to bed, and he'd had trouble recharging, too. He'd kept asking where Bee was and Sam didn't know how to tell him in a way that he could understand. When Sam had asked Ratchet about the Sparkling's behavior, however, the medic had said the way Blaster was acting was perfectly normal.

"_Even without a Sparkbond involved, Sparklings are very sensitive to their caretakers' behavior and emotions,"_ Ratchet had told him. _"The others didn't leave the base in the best of conditions. Blaster saw that Bumblebee was worried and anxious about something and he picked up on that, feeling those emotions himself, and the fact that Bumblebee left almost immediately didn't help matters even if it was necessary. A Sparkling, especially one Blaster's age, becomes extremely stressed if separated from their caretaker in such conditions. As Blaster already had a bad experience in which he was separated from Bumblebee, he is upset more by it. Just keep reassuring him, and he'll be fine. He might not completely settle until Bumblebee returns, but he'll be fine."_

That was true, Sam could see. Blaster might be loads better, but he was still recovering from being the Decepticons' captive the previous month. Seeing Bumblebee get so worried and anxious, and then suddenly leave without being able to take the time to properly reassure the Sparkling, had made the separation anxiety Blaster still suffered from slightly worse. Fortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been at the start, when Blaster had first been rescued from the Decepticons who had kidnapped him-he wasn't crying this time, he was just being very fussy and restless-but it was still hard to see the Sparkling so upset again.

Blaster _had_ been a little better that morning, though. He'd actually taken his bottle when Sam offered it to him after he woke up, and once in the main hangar's Sparkling play area, instead of sitting quiet and anxious in one spot like he had the last time he had been upset, he'd turned his attention to practicing his latest accomplishment, standing up. He couldn't do it on his own yet; he had to use something to pull himself to his feet and had to hold onto the same object while standing so he could stay upright. However, despite being busy practicing standing up, Blaster still kept asking where Bee was, and Sam still had no idea what to tell him. He and Carly had eventually settled for simply reassuring the Sparkling that Bumblebee had just had to go somewhere very important with the others, but he would be back soon. Blaster hadn't seemed very satisfied with that answer, and kept casting anxious looks towards the hangar exit, watching for Bumblebee to come back.

Fortunately, they had been able to distract him a little by playing with him-Trailbreaker had helped there, as he had seen that his friend was sad again and wanted to make him feel better-and when it was around the time for the Sparklings to take their afternoon naps, Blaster had fallen into recharge without any trouble.

Hopefully that meant he would be less upset when he woke up and would be fine until Bumblebee and the rest of the Autobots came back.

He kept thinking about Bumblebee and the others as he ate; the somber atmosphere that had arrived when the Autobots had left yesterday made neither he nor Carly feel very much like talking at the moment. The two of them had stayed at the base overnight, just so they would be able to know immediately both when the Autobots got back, and what had happened with the Decepticons. He was worried, so worried that he hadn't really been able to get much sleep the night before. He didn't know much about this Cyclonus guy who was supposedly leading the Decepticons now, but seeing the reactions the Autobots had had when they learned that he was on Earth was more than enough to let Sam know that Cyclonus was seriously bad news. And the fact that the Decepticons wanted to try and revive Megatron again was even worse. The Decepticons were dangerous to fight on a _good_ day, but fighting them when they were desperate to revive their dead leader? Things could go badly, very badly.

Sam pushed those thoughts aside. Even though he was incredibly worried about Bee and everyone else, he had to believe that they would be okay. Besides, he had a Sparkling to look after and he couldn't do that if he let his worry take over. Blaster was stressed enough from being separated from Bee as it was.

He looked around. The mess hall was, aside from the two of them and one or two of the non-soldier members of NEST, empty. Nearly all of the people-Autobot and human alike-that had been stationed on the base had left with Optimus and Will Lennox to go after the Decepticons, making it so those who were left behind pretty much had the entire base to themselves. Even Director Mearing wasn't there, but her reason for being gone was different; she had gone back to DC for a meeting of some kind. Sam had a feeling said meeting had something to do with the recent Decepticon activity, but no one was saying anything about it, regardless of whether or not that was what it was actually about.

"I hope they get back soon," Sam finally said, breaking the silence he and Carly had been eating in, giving up trying to avoid thinking about what was bothering him. It wasn't working, anyway. "I _hate_ not knowing what's happening to them. Bee could be hurt, and so could any of the others, and we'd never even know it happened." If he felt this worried just from the Autobots being out-of-reach on a simple mission on Earth, he could only imagine how much worse it would be during the coming battle, when the Autobots would be fighting off-planet. He knew Bumblebee wanted this, to be a part of NEST and help until everything settled down again, and while he respected that and understood-after all, hadn't _he_ wanted the same thing last year before that whole mess with Sentinel had started?-it didn't prevent him from worrying about his friend.

"I know, Sam. I'm worried about them, too." He could tell that Carly meant it, too. It was hard to believe that just a year ago she had held a very different attitude towards the Autobots as a whole.

Chicago and the events following it had changed a lot of things.

Sam stared at the bit of food left on his plate, then pushed it away with a sigh. He hadn't had much on appetite to begin with and what little of one he had was now completely gone. "I don't feel like eating the rest of this."

"Sam…"

"I know, I know. Not eating won't help. But I can't bring myself to eat, either."

Carly gave him a concerned look, but didn't argue. "Do you want to go check with Ratchet? Maybe he knows when the others will get back. Blaster's taking his nap right now, and Wheelie, Brains, and Computron can handle things until we get back, if you want to go ask Ratchet if he knows when everyone else will be back."

Sam blinked. Of course, if anyone on base currently knew when everyone would get back, it would be Ratchet. Why hadn't he thought of that? Because Carly was the one thinking with a clear head, that was why. He gave Carly an appreciative smile, grateful for her suggestion.

"Yeah, that sounds great."

* * *

><p>Even though Silverbolt had left the scene of the battle before Firestorm had, he soon found himself joined in the air by the old Seeker not too long after he had taken off to return to the base with his passengers. As Firestorm had been elected to transport the more seriously injured of the human soldiers, and the Seeker took his duties seriously, it wasn't really much of a surprise that he had caught up so quickly. Especially unsurprising, since Silverbolt knew that Firestorm was learning medical skills from Ratchet, because he wanted to help others instead of hurting them like he had done when he had been a Decepticon-he'd heard it from Prowl, who had been in the medbay at the time Firestorm had first asked Ratchet to teach him. Of course he would want to get the humans back as soon as possible so that they would receive the treatment they needed. Likewise, Silverbolt was also trying to fly as fast as he safely could, ignoring his dislike of heights to his fullest ability, so that he could get <em>his <em>passengers-Arcee and Chromia, most importantly-back to the base so that they could get the medical treatment they needed, as well.

Silverbolt had heard Arcee tell the entire story of what had happened to her and Chromia; it wasn't much of a stain for him to split his attention between flying and listening to the conversation between the passengers he carried. He knew what the possible outcome would be if Chromia didn't get treatment soon; it was surprising that she had lasted this long. And while he wasn't particularly close to either of the femmes, they were still Autobots, they were still _friends_, and he had to get back to the base as soon as he could to help them.

That would make up for failing to locate the Decepticons who had run off with Megatron's remains. At least, Silverbolt hoped that it would.

The base finally came into view, and Silverbolt adjusted his flight pattern as he angled towards the runway that was designated for NEST use-meaning the flying Autobots and the normal C-17s that transported the human soldiers-only.

_Optimus Prime, sir, I'm getting ready to land,_ Silverbolt informed the Autobot leader.

_Understood, Silverbolt,_ Optimus replied. _We will be ready to disembark as soon as you have landed safely._

Once he had broken off the comm with Optimus, Silverbolt turned his attention to Firestorm, who was still flying a small distance behind him. _Follow me in, but don't actually land until I'm done, alright? No need to risk a collision, especially with injured being transported._

_I understand,_ Firestorm responded, hanging back as the silver-armored Autobot began to land on the runway. _I will wait until you have finished landing before I come in._

Although he landed relatively quickly with no problems, Silverbolt still couldn't help wincing internally when he hit the runway, hoping desperately that Arcee and Chromia were secure enough that the landing hadn't jarred them in any way-even though the injuries they suffered from were not quite physical, he didn't want to accidently cause them any more pain. Soon after he had come to a stop, he heard Firestorm land behind him, and waited until the Seeker stopped nearby before letting his passengers disembark. Silverbolt could see Firestorm doing the same off to the side.

The human medics who had remained on the base were waiting for them, ready to rush the injured soldiers off to be treated for their wounds. As the soldiers were being taken care of, both Silverbolt and Firestorm Transformed out of their alternate modes, ready to assist Optimus and Prowl with the injured Autobots, if they were able.

"I can take care of her," Arcee insisted, trying to support Chromia as she had done earlier, but it was obvious that this time her exhaustion was too much for her to successfully do so.

"I know that you wish to help Chromia," Optimus said gently. "But you are not in the best of condition yourself at the moment. Please, Arcee, let us help you."

"But-" Arcee protested, before her words were cut off by a weak voice.

"Arcee, it's alright. You need to rest, too. Let them take care of me for a while."

Arcee looked at Chromia, still hesitating, but she didn't want to argue with her sister. She vented a sigh and reluctantly allowed Prowl to take over in supporting her injured sister. "All right. But I can get to the medbay on _my_ own."

Optimus looked at Firestorm and Silverbolt as Prowl, taking care to support Chromia as well as he could, began to head towards the hangar that housed the medbay, a worried Arcee following as they walked after the humans already on their way there.

"Thank you, Firestorm and Silverbolt, for transporting the injured back to base." He looked over the two fliers, taking note of their own injures-the ones they had received in defending Arcee and Chromia from Cyclonus. While their injuries were not severe, the Prime knew that Ratchet would want to see to them as well-once the two femmes were out of any immediate danger, of course. "I am sure that Ratchet will want to tend to your own wounds, as well, once he has seen to Arcee and Chromia."

"Optimus Prime," Firestorm said, taking a hesitant step forward. "I know that the outcome of the fight was not the one we needed or wanted to achieve, and I wish to-"

Optimus held up a hand, cutting the old Seeker off. "I know what you are going to say, Firestorm, and no, it is not your fault, nor is it yours, Silverbolt. If anything, the blame is mine. I should have realized what it was the Decepticons were after and acted on it sooner."

"No, sir, that's not true. You can't blame yourself," Silverbolt protested. "We _all_ should have realized it."

"It is still _my_ oversight," The Prime replied, regret evident in his voice. He shook his head, his voice taking on a firmer, more resolved note as he continued. "However, we must move past this now, and do what we can to make it right. When everyone has had their injuries tended to and had some rest, we will gather together to discuss what must be done now. I will go now and inform Prowl of this." He nodded respectfully at Silverbolt and Firestorm, and began to head towards the main hangar.

Firestorm and Silverbolt glanced at each other, then followed after the Prime, the guilt they both shared over being unable to track the Decepticons fading in light of Optimus's announcement of forming a plan.

The Autobots were down, but they were not out of the fight. Not just yet.

* * *

><p>Sam and Carly had been ushered out of the medbay and were now standing in the hallway. Sam was staring at the door in shock, Carly looking at him, both in confusion and concern.<p>

The fact that Ratchet had been rushing around, Scattershot helping him to pull out all sorts of medical equipment when they had arrived to ask about the time the others would get back had been troubling enough -after all, why would Ratchet be in such a rush to get the medbay prepped if he wasn't expecting injured Autobots to be arriving soon? But the sight of Prowl, supporting an obviously-badly-injured Chromia, followed by a distressed Arcee, coming into the medbay as Ratchet hurriedly motioned them over to a pair of berths next to a serious-looking, obviously important machine, had been even worse.

And now, Ratchet had told them to leave the medbay-in an agitated but polite voice-telling them that he needed space to care for the patients, so now they were out in the hall, unsure of what had just happened and what to do now.

Well, Carly was unsure of what had happened, anyway.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Sam, who were those two Autobots with Prowl? Are they new?"

"No, they're not new, they've been here a while and…" Sam stopped and turned to her, remembering belatedly that Carly didn't know Arcee and Chromia. "Oh, that's right, you never met them…that was Arcee-she's the pink one-and Chromia-the blue one. They've been missing for almost two years; we all thought they were dead. Bee was so upset when the search for them was finally cut off…" Seeing that Carly looked even more confused at his last statement, Sam hurried on. "Chromia, well, she was, Ironhide's Sparkmate, you know, his wife, so, uh, that more or less makes her Bee's mom…adopted mom, yeah. And Arcee, she's one of his best friends."

"Arcee and Bumblebee have known each other since they were _both_ Younglings," Optimus's voice came from behind the two humans, and they turned to see the Autobot leader walking towards them, followed by Silverbolt and Firestorm. "And while Chromia was not around very often, she nevertheless contributed a great deal to Bumblebee's upbringing."

"Optimus!" Sam took a few steps towards the Prime. While Optimus didn't seem to be hurt, he could plainly see that Firestorm and Silverbolt were injured a little, and that made him feel more anxious about the fight that had taken place, not less. "What happened? Are you okay, is everything okay? Where're Bee and the others?"

"The rest of those who went to face the Decepticons were not terribly injured. They are currently on their way here and should be arriving within the next hour or so. We only had Firestorm and Silverbolt transport those who were injured severely-both Autobot and human-with us." Optimus's expression was grave, and Sam took that as a bad sign, even though Optimus had more or less said that Bumblebee was all right…well, Bee _might_ be hurt but obviously not _badly_, or he would be here, too. Seconds later, his suspicions were confirmed when Optimus continued. "The Decepticons were ahead of us from the very beginning. A few of their number had already fled out of our reach with Megatron's remains by the time we arrived. I tried to end it, but failed. Cyclonus led the Decepticons in a full retreat; he claims that they are going to be leaving Earth, but that they will return soon to fight us once again."

"So they have Megatron?" Sam's voice held a hint of panic.

"Yes." Seeing the rising panic in Sam's expression, Optimus wasted no time in continuing. "However, there is little we can do about that now. We must see to the wellbeing of those who were injured. Once everyone is rested, there will be a meeting to discuss how we can make this right."

Sam still looked decidedly nervous about what had happened, but the visible tension in his body had disappeared at the Prime's reassurances. "So…they _wanted_ to leave?"

"That is what Cyclonus claimed. It leads me to believe that whatever it is that the Decepticons believe will be able to revive Megatron to complete functionality must be located elsewhere, possibly on another planet. But as to just what it is…" Optimus shook his head. "I unfortunately do not know."

Sam opened his mouth to ask the Prime another question, but before he even had the chance to say anything he was interrupted by the medbay door opening. Prowl was exiting the room, followed by a decidedly nervous-looking Scattershot. The Security Officer motioned to Firestorm, gesturing over his shoulder towards the medbay interior.

"Ratchet wants you in there to help him, Firestorm."

Firestorm blinked in surprise, looking first at Optimus, then back to Prowl, hesitantly stepping forward. "But I know nothing about treating those who have had their Sparks damaged from losing a bond."

"There's no better time to learn," came Ratchet's voice from inside the medbay. "This is an emergency, so hurry up!"

Recognizing the snappy tone the medic utilized whenever something truly urgent was going on, Firestorm hurried into the medbay, a look of determined concentration replacing the hesitancy on his faceplates. The door to the medbay slid shut after him, living those standing in the hall in silence.

After a few moments, Prowl turned to Optimus. "What will our next step be, Prime?"

"Right now, we need to focus on returning ourselves to fighting strength," Optimus replied firmly. "Once the others have returned, and we have all had a chance to rest, so that we and those who have been injured will have had the time to recover our strength, we will hold a meeting together with the human members of NEST, so that we can decide how to best deal with the situation."

"Can we come to the meeting when you guys have it?" Sam asked, looking back and forth at Prowl and Optimus. The panic had faded from his voice and expression, but it was easy to see that he was still slightly on edge from what Optimus had told him had happened.

"Of course, Sam. Both you and Carly are welcome to attend the meeting," Optimus said. "This concerns everyone."

"Um, Optimus Prime, sir…" Scattershot began hesitantly, his voice fading into silence when Optimus turned to him.

"Yes, what is it, Scattershot?" Optimus asked, concern making its way into his voice at the renewed nervousness he saw in the former Decepticon's expression.

"Well, um, I was wondering, what do you want me to do right now, sir? I mean, I was helping Ratchet but now he's busy, so…" Scattershot trailed off, looking even more nervous than before.

The Autobot leader considered the orange-armored mech for a moment. Despite the fact that he had assured Scattershot that he would be able to join the Autobots with no true problems, it was painfully obvious that the former Decepticon was still incredibly anxious and hesitant around the other Autobots. In addition to that nervousness, however, there was something else that could be seen now; it was plain to see that he was tired. Of course; looking after Sparklings wasn't exactly easy for those not used to it. It was also obvious that, despite his tiredness, Scattershot still desperately wanted to help the Autobots in any way that he could at moment, even though he had not yet been informed about the coming battle…actually, judging by what Cyclonus had said, coming _battles._ His trustworthiness would need to be proven first, just as Firestorm's had been, and now, there was an important matter that needed to be taken care of, in regards to that. "I know that I told you I would assign an Autobot to look after you and to help you integrate into our ranks. However, I will need to speak with Ratchet first, about the time you spent here, while the rest of us were gone. I will do so before the meeting takes place. In the meantime, Prowl will take you back to your quarters. I suggest you try to get some rest, as well-you may be needed at the meeting."

Scattershot's optics widened in surprise at hearing that he might actually be needed at an important meeting, but despite feeling slightly relieved that he might be able to help the Autobots, he could not suppress the nervousness he felt at hearing that the Prime was going to question Ratchet about how he had acted while the other Autobots had been off the base. He tried to help as best as he could, he really did, but what if he'd made a mistake he didn't realize? He might have finally remembered what his pre-Decepticon Younglinghood was like, but still, he'd spent the majority of his life surrounded by others who hadn't exactly shown him the proper way to care for Sparklings, after all. Trying to shove his anxiety away, he nodded. "All right, sir. Thank you."

Optimus nodded, then looked over the others assembled in the hall. "Now, you will have to excuse me. I need to go and retrieve Trailbreaker from the recharge room. Once everything has been taken care of, I will let you know when the meeting will be held." He nodded respectfully at them all once again, then turned and began to head down the hall, towards the room Fireflight, Blaster, and Trailbreaker were in.

"We should go, too," Sam pointed out. "We need to check on Blaster. I don't think he'll be awake yet, but we should go see anyway. With how upset he's been since Bee left, I don't want him to wake up with us not being there. I don't want him to get more upset; he's been through it more than enough lately."

"I know, Sam. But as long as we're there when he wakes up, he should be fine. And that will probably be the room Bumblebee will head to first, when he gets back," Carly noted. "He'll want to see us right away and he knows we'll be with Blaster."

Sam nodded resolutely. "Yeah, let's go." He looked up at Prowl and Silverbolt, and gave Scattershot a faint smile. "Hey, Scattershot? Thanks for helping us look after the Sparklings earlier."

"You're welcome," Scattershot replied. He looked at Prowl and then nervously turned back to Sam. I'm…I'm happy to help."

Sam waved at the gathered Cybertronians as he and Carly began to walk in the same direction Optimus had gone. "See you guys later."

Once they were gone, Scattershot hesitantly glanced back at Prowl. "I'm not used to humans," He admitted reluctantly. He had been genuinely surprised when Sam had thanked him, but he could tell that the human had meant it. He'd become so used to the hate that humans directed towards Decepticons-not that he blamed them-that being sincerely thanked by one of them was something he had never guessed would happen to _him_. "I mean, I admire them and everything, I did even when I was with the Decepticons, but I…"

"You'll get used to them soon enough," Prowl assured, motioning for Scattershot to follow him in the direction of the room that was currently serving as the orange mech's quarters. "It might take longer for most of them to accept you, though you shouldn't let that bother you." The Security officer looked back at Silverbolt. "Are you coming, Silverbolt?"

The large silver mech shook his head. "No. I'm going to wait until Ratchet can see me. The plasma fire I took to my armor wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience, even if the damage isn't that serious."

Prowl looked at the closed door to the medbay. "It will be a while before Ratchet can see you."

"I know. I don't mind waiting. Chromia and Arcee need the help more than I do right now."

"I just hope we arrived in time for the medical treatment to heal the damage that's been done," Prowl murmured, casting one last concerned look over his shoulder towards the medbay and the two patients it contained, before turning and leading Scattershot down the hall to his quarters.

* * *

><p>Ratchet frowned, concerned worry filling his Spark as he looked over the readings from the scans he had conducted on Arcee and Chromia, so that he could see the full extent of the damage done to their Sparks by losing the bonds they had once had. Both femmes were currently connected to the Spark therapy monitor, resting while the machine gave off the energy pulses that would help their Sparks heal from the damage that had been done to them. The old physical injuries they both had would be treated later, once they had regained enough strength.<p>

The medic, assisted by Firestorm, had conducted the scans as quickly as possible so that the treatment could begin, but the quickness in which they had preformed did not make them any less thorough. The results of the scans let them know just how much of the treatment each femme would recquire.

Arcee would be fine; while she was still suffering from losing her Sibling bond with Elita, her Spark had, surprisingly enough, healed a great deal on its own-something that was rare, but possible, especially if the Cybertronian who had lost a Sibling bond had other siblings to turn to once the one was lost. She would still need to undergo the Spark therapy as a precaution, of course, just to make sure there were no hidden complications, and the scar from losing the Sibling bond would always be there, but Arcee would otherwise make a full recovery.

Chromia, on the other hand, was suffering from losing _two_ Sparkbonds, one of which was a Sparkmate bond. Losing a Sparkmate bond was very dangerous, and could even offline the Cybertronian affected if they were not treated immediately after losing it-which was why Optimus was still functioning at full strength, as he had been able to be treated for his broken bond soon after Elita had been killed-treatment that Chromia had not been lucky enough to receive. Chromia losing her bond with Ironhide had been made even worse by the fact that she had already been suffering from losing her bond with Elita. Her Spark had deteriorated to the point that it was miracle she was still online, let alone able to talk and, to a lesser extent, move on her own.

The results brought back by the scans were disheartening.

She might recover to the point of being released to light duty, but Chromia would never regain her full strength. The treatment had come too late for that. To be realistic, going by the amount of damage to her Spark, there was only one possible outcome for her condition, but _Pit_ if Ratchet was going to stand by and let that happen. Not after all the two femmes had gone through, not after how hard they had tried to find their way back, not after Arcee's desperation to see to Chromia's health. No. He would spend every free moment he had trying to find a way to help Chromia avoid it.

_If only we had been able to find them sooner,_ Ratchet thought. _Things would not look as bleak right now. This won't be easy, but I'm not going to give up trying to find a way to fix it. _Heturned his attention from the scans to his two patients. "Arcee, you will be able to leave within an hour, but I will want you back in here first thing tomorrow, so I can make sure the treatment was successful."

"What about Chromia?" Arcee demanded. She looked at Firestorm cautiously-even though Silverbolt had assured both her and her sister that the old Seeker was on the Autobot side, she still felt incredibly wary of him. The Decepticon insignia invoked that reaction in all Autobots; it wasn't something she could help, especially seeing as she really didn't know anything about the old Seeker. "I don't want to leave her."

"Arcee, I'll be fine," Chromia spoke up tiredly. "Ratchet knows what he's doing, and besides, you heard what Silverbolt told us. Firestorm fights alongside us now."

"I won't leave you in here by yourself," Arcee insisted. "I'm staying."

"Quiet, both of you," Ratchet reprimanded, though there was more concern in his voice than his usual snappiness. "Rest and let the Spark therapy do its job. Arcee, I know you're worried about Chromia, and yes, you two staying close by each other will assist in the Spark therapy, but you're not going to need as much of the therapy as Chromia, and I don't doubt that Optimus will want you to be present at the meeting he will be having later."

Arcee looked as if she wanted to argue, but a glance from Chromia silenced her before she began. Finally, she nodded in acceptance. "Fine. But I want to stay in here tonight, since Chromia will be, too."

"Fair enough. Now please, stop talking and rest." Ratchet turned to Firestorm next. The old Seeker had been standing quietly nearby, both waiting for the medic's next orders and keeping his distance to help alleviate any concerns the two femmes had about him. "As for you…" He blinked in surprise. He had seen the damage done to Firestorm's armor earlier, when he had first entered the medbay, and although the damage had been minor, Ratchet had still intended to treat it once Arcee and Chromia were stable. But now, he saw that the old Seeker's armor was almost completely repaired, and it was only thanks to his keen optics that Ratchet was able to see the faint, remaining traces of the damage-they still needed treatment, but they should not have healed so far on their own.

"Are your repair systems on overdrive?" Ratchet asked incredulously. "Because, if they are, you should let me know so I can correct it. It can strain your other systems far too much if one is working harder than it should."

"What? Oh, you mean my armor?" Firestorm gestured at the faint markings on one wing. "My armor has always been pretty resistant to plasma fire, and on the chance I do take damage from it, the injuries heal relatively fast. That was how I earned my designation, because I can fly into fire and survive. The healing has slowed down in my old age, though."

"If only we all had that ability," Ratchet mused. He shook his head. "Never mind. They may be healing, but it's only a halfway job and that's not acceptable. Get over here; I have the next set of datapads ready for you to read, but you won't be able to concentrate on them if you aren't fully repaired."

As he headed towards a cabinet to retrieve to Energon solution he needed, Ratchet checked to make sure his Sparklings were still recharging. Fortunately, they were, and seeing as how Beachcomber had already woken once and fallen back into recharge, they should both be in recharge for a while longer. Hopefully they _would_ remain that way, at least until the other Autobots returned and the rest of the injured were treated, that was.

_Thank Primus you two aren't light sleepers at all,_ Ratchet thought, smiling slightly in the Sparklings' direction. _Because I have a feeling that it isn't going to be quiet in here when everyone gets back._

* * *

><p>"Opt!"<p>

The joyous cry from the Prime's Sparkling charge greeted him as he entered the room where the other three Sparklings had been taking their naps. At the sight of Optimus, Trailbreaker leapt up from where he had been sitting on the floor, scribbling on a large piece of paper with a crayon, running forward and colliding with his caretaker's leg as he wrapped his arms around in a tight hug, beaming excitedly up at him.

"Hello, Trailbreaker," Optimus greeted warmly, a faint smile crossing his faceplate as he looked down at his Sparkling charge, placing a gentle hand on Trailbreaker's head. The Sparkling's happiness at seeing him was more than enough to lift Optimus's Spark, chasing away the weariness and guilt that had been warring within him ever since the confrontation with the Decepticons had ended. "Awake so soon?"

Trailbreaker shrugged, although he didn't let go of Optimus, continuing to hug his caretaker. "Woke up an' not tired, Opt."

The Prime considered the red and blue Sparkling thoughtfully. Trailbreaker _was_ the oldest of the Sparklings, and he _had_ always woken completely from recharge before the others-while Beachcomber would wake up early as well, he always fell back into recharge soon after he had first awakened-but being awake at this point in the afternoon was early, even for him. Optimus knew that as Sparklings grew older, they recharged less, eventually, as they became Younglings, no longer requiring recharge naps. Perhaps Trailbreaker was simply about to go through another, what the humans called, a 'growth spurt'. "I see. And have you behaved yourself while I have been gone?"

Trailbreaker nodded solemnly, but his serious expression quickly shifted back into happiness as he launched into an excited chatter about how he'd gotten to stay with Ratchet the previous night-and First Aid and Beachcomber, of course-as well as how he'd made sure his friends were happy earlier that day, because they were all sad that their caretakers were gone and that wasn't any good, so he had helped them feel better.

"He's right, Prime," Computron said, speaking up once Trailbreaker's happy chattering had finally quieted down. The small black and silver mech was perched on the back of a nearby Autobot-sized chair, which Wheelie and Brains were sitting on. "You should've seen him with the other Sparklings. Forget us_,_ _he_ was the one who was really doing all the Sparkling-sitting."

Optimus shook his head, his voice warm with amusement as he replied. "Next time, then, perhaps I should put him in charge of the rest of the Sparklings and allow everyone else to take time off." He looked back down at Trailbreaker as the other three Autobots laughed quietly at his words. "Trailbreaker, go and get your toys, please. We are going to our quarters."

"'kay, Opt," Trailbreaker said agreeably, letting go of Optimus's leg, and going over to gather his stuffed bear and the paper he had been scribbling on with the crayons.

"What happened out there?" Computron asked, looking back up at the Autobot leader as Optimus waited for Trailbreaker to finish picking up the toys he had been playing with. "With the Decepticons?"

At Computron's question, both Wheelie and Brains shifted their full attention to the Prime as well, waiting for his response.

"The Decepticons were successful in what it was they had set out to do," Optimus replied gravely. Noticing the concerned looks that the three smaller mechs gave him and each other, he did not hesitate to continue, repeating the same words he had spoken to Sam earlier. "There is nothing we can do right now. But a meeting will be held later today, with all those who are able welcome to attend, so that we will be able to decide how to proceed further."

"So can we come?" Wheelie asked.

"Of course."

"You'll let us know when it's about to start, sir?" Computron asked.

Optimus nodded as Trailbreaker, one armed wrapped around his stuffed bear and the paper he had been drawing on, came walking back towards him, taking the hand his caretaker offered him. "Yes. The meeting will not take place until everyone has returned to base, as well as had the chance to rest. I believe that will allow for the meeting to take place sometime this evening, but I will let you know exactly when." The Prime looked briefly back at the entrance to the room as the door opened and Sam and Carly stepped in, then returned his attention to the other three Autobots, although the words he spoke next were addressed to the humans as well. "Perhaps some rest will allow us to see just what it is that we need to do in response to this incident."

Trailbreaker looked back and forth between his caretaker and the others in the room. He had been listening to the adults' conversation, and even though he didn't understand most of it, he still could tell that something serious had happened and something important was still going on, and that Optimus needed to figure out what to do. Maybe he could help; even though he didn't know what everyone needed to do, he knew what they _could_ do-he'd seen Optimus handling things that way before. At his caretaker's last words, the red and blue Sparkling tugged insistently on his hand until Optimus looked down at him.

"What is it, Trailbreaker?" Optimus questioned gently.

"Make plans, Opt?" Trailbreaker asked, looking up at his caretaker, a serious, concerned expression on his faceplate.

A faint smile appeared on the Prime's face at the Sparkling's innocent yet accurate suggestion of what should be done. The little one was remarkably perceptive for his age. "Yes, Trailbreaker. We are going to make plans."

* * *

><p>Sideswipe wasn't one to usually brood, but even he found himself troubled over what had happed in the clearing next to the cave in Kentucky.<p>

He had been one of the few Autobots lucky enough to escape getting damaged in the fight, something that his brother-who had received his least favorite type of battle damage in the form of scratched paint-had not hesitated to complain about. But Sideswipe didn't mind the complaining-he knew Sunstreaker was relieved that he hadn't gotten hurt, and that his complaints were his own way of showing that relief. The silver mech, likewise, was thankful that his twin hadn't suffered from anything more serious than paint scratches.

Maybe that was it…maybe his own lack of any injury was why he found himself worriedly going over what Cyclonus had told them back there as he followed the convoy of human vehicles and Autobots as they traveled the roads that would take them back to the base in Dayton. Going by what Cyclonus had said right before the Decepticons had fled, the Decepticons would be leaving Earth, but would eventually come back to finish what they had started. Maybe that was true and maybe it wasn't, but whether or not it was, everything was going to come crashing together in a violent final confrontation sometime soon in the future. While Sideswipe had never looked away at the idea of a fight with the Decepticons before, for some reason, this time, he found himself intensely worried over what Cyclonus and the others planned to do. He would fight when the time came, of course he would, but this time he knew he was going to have to approach the battle more carefully than he ever had, even in the fights against the Decepticons on Earth, where humans had been involved, causing extra care to be taken. He had to help the Autobots gain a complete victory, more so than ever before, not only against the Decepticons, but against Unicron as well. Why did he know this, that he would have to change his fighting approach? What had changed?

_I've changed,_ Sideswipe abruptly realized. _I have a Sparkling now, and I have to make sure he has a safe world to grow up in. _

He'd come to the same conclusion when he had set out to rescue Blaster when he had been kidnapped, but this was the first time he had so directly acknowledged it. Looking out for his own Sparkling's wellbeing was different to looking out for his twin, or for his other friends-even though he knew that he had to help them as well, they weren't defenseless Sparklings like Fireflight; they could take care of themselves.

_I have different responsibilities now. I have to be careful now, for the sake of someone else besides me or my brother-someone who can't defend himself at all. _

_Well, don't get too responsible,_ Sunstreaker told him over a private comm, causing Sideswipe to realize that he had been unintentionally broadcasting his feelings and thoughts over his twin bond with Sunstreaker. _I might not recognize you._

_Oh, be quiet,_ Sideswipe shot back, although he wasn't truly annoyed. At least, not very much. _I'm still the same mech I always was._

_Only now you have a kid,_ Sunstreaker teased back. _Don't worry, Sideswipe. I won't let the 'cons win, either. For Fireflight's sake._

And Sideswipe knew that Sunstreaker would do whatever it took to protect Fireflight, just like he would. He knew how much his brother cared about his adopted nephew-he had seen it in both the fact that Sunstreaker always agreed to watch after him whenever Sideswipe asked, and in the way the normally prickly, aloof mech would get down on the Sparkling's level to play with him when he thought no one was looking.

Yes, Sunstreaker would fight to protect Fireflight, too.

Feeling slightly better about things, Sideswipe let his brother feel his appreciation over their bond and then dropped back slightly in the lane he was in, so that he could talk to Bumblebee. The younger Autobot had been quiet for the entire drive, from the moment they had left the clearing to now, lagging behind everyone else, although he still kept up with the convoy. While it was true that the other Autobots-due to what had happened-had been relatively quiet, there was still the odd bit of comm conversation as they discussed what had happened, what it was Cyclonus really wanted to do, and tried to work out what their next steps should be, a conversation that had been fueled almost an hour ago, when Optimus had contacted them to let them know that a meeting had been planned for that evening. Bumblebee, however, hadn't offered anything in the discussions, remaining silent the whole time.

Sideswipe had a hunch that the young scout was bothered by what happened, and probably more than the others. Because, when everything was said and done, Bumblebee _was_ still a Youngling. The silver mech still wanted to look out for him, like he had always done. Yes, he knew that Bumblebee could take care of himself-he was a trained soldier, after all-but everyone needed support sometimes.

_Hey, Bumblebee, you feeling okay?_ Sideswipe asked as he fell back to drive alongside the younger Autobot. _You've been awfully quiet since we left, and that's not like you. Are you worried about what happened?_

_Well, yes, but…_ Bumblebee's comm faltered for a moment, but only a moment, and then the scout anxiously continued. _I'm really worried about Chromia and Arcee. Especially Chromia, she looked really hurt and weak, and I've never seen her like that before. Do you think they'll be alright?_

_Of course they'll be alright,_ Sideswipe replied firmly. He was worried about them too, of course; he'd been just as happy as the others to see them alive, but he wasn't blind to what their medical conditions no doubt were. _Chromia and Arcee are two of the toughest femmes I've ever known, and Ratchet's going to make sure they'll recover. They'll be fine._

_I hope so, _Bumblebee said, though his worry was still evident even though it couldn't be heard.

_I know so,_ Sideswipe responded. The silver mech knew that Arcee and Chromia were hurt, but they were back at the base now and Ratchet was the best medic the Autobots had. He'd make sure the two femmes were all right. And once they were all back at the base, they would figure out what to do. Everything was going to be fine. _Besides, do you think Chromia and Arcee aren't going to do their best to jump back into things once they realize what we're going to face soon? They'll be back on their feet before you know it._

_You're right,_ Bumblebee said, perking up. Of course-Chromia and Arcee wouldn't let them fight the coming battles alone; they'd do their best to recover quickly so they could help out. _Thanks, Sideswipe._

_No problem, kid,_ Sideswipe replied. He was glad that he had managed to, at least temporarily, alleviate some of Bumblebee's worries. He left the younger Autobot's side and drove back up to rejoin Sunstreaker. Sideswipe firmly believed what he had told Bumblebee. With Ratchet's help, Chromia and Arcee would be fine.

The silver mech did his best to ignore the faint trickle of doubt in his Spark that told him otherwise.

* * *

><p>Ratchet was nearly finished repairing the minor damage to Silverbolt's armor when he heard the sounds of Cybertronian footsteps-several of them- in the hall outside, no doubt signalling the return of the rest of the Autobots. The sound of the medbay door opening and quiet, yet still distracting, chatter quickly confirmed that as actually being the case. Irritation flared slightly in the medic. Arcee and Chromia had finally both fallen into a well-needed recharge-though it probably wouldn't last long as they had managed to get some recharge earlier, on the way to the base-and these aft-processored mechs were going to wake them up if they weren't careful.<p>

"Crowd those two femmes or wake them up, and you will _all_ get a wrench to the back of your helm," the medic warned without turning his attention from his current patient.

The new arrivals fell silent, and Ratchet continued in satisfaction, though this time he turned around to face the other Autobots. "I know you are glad to see them, but they need rest. Be quiet, stay out of the way and Firestorm and I will treat you one at a time." He turned back to Silverbolt to finish the last of the Aerialbot's repairs. "I take it none of you were seriously damaged if you were able to drive yourselves back here."

"That's right," Mirage agreed, taking care to keep his voice low after Ratchet's warning. "It was really nothing more than dents and scrapes. The Decepticons were holding back again."

"Holding back because they're plotting something." Red Alert looked around agitatedly, obviously still very much on edge after what had happened, but that was normal for the paranoid red-armored mech. "Firestorm helped me patch everyone up as best as we could, but our medical skills aren't very advanced."

"We did what was needed," Firestorm offered quietly.

"I suppose," Red Alert replied unhappily.

"Firestorm is learning and you are a security officer now, Red Alert, with more than just your medical skills to worry about," Ratchet informed both of them as he motioned for Silverbolt to get off of the berth he was sitting on. The last thing he needed was for the only two mechs on base besides himself who knew the most about Autobot medical care to start doubting themselves; they would be needed more than ever with what was coming, and they couldn't afford to second-guess themselves. The possible results from that could be disastrous. "Everyone made it back more or less in one piece. It's enough. You're done, Silverbolt. Let me know if that repair doesn't hold; it should, but plasma burns at close range are tricky. Prime's orders are for everyone to get repaired and then get some rest, so get."

"I will, Ratchet," Silverbolt agreed, stepping away from the berth and making his way towards the door.

Once Silverbolt was gone and he had cleaned the tools he had been using, Ratchet finally drew himself up and turned to face the others in the medbay. "Right, then. Which of you…" He paused, looking over the assembled mechs in the room-Firestorm, Sunstreaker, Red Alert, Mirage, and Diesel-and frowned slightly. Not counting Optimus and Prowl-who hadn't been injured-they were two short of the number of Autobots who had gone to face the Decepticons. "Where are Bumblebee and Sideswipe? Were they not hurt in the battle?"

"Sideswipe sure wasn't," Sunstreaker said grumpily, looking over the scratched paint on his right arm. "Don't know how he was able to avoid it, but he did. As soon as we got here he headed straight to the room the Sparklings recharge in-he wanted to check up on Fireflight-and Bumblebee went with him."

"Bumblebee's left arm was all gashed up," Red Alert said, "But I stopped the Energon bleeding. It needs to be closed up, but he wanted to see Blaster and his human friends so badly I didn't stop him from following Sideswipe." The red mech looked nervously at Ratchet, meeting the medic's unreadable expression. "That's all right, isn't it?"

"Of course it's all right," Ratchet said. Did Red Alert really think he would have a problem with a caretaker who wanted to see his Sparkling and the rest of his family after going through something as troubling as what had happened with the Decepticons? Especially after what had happened to Blaster not all that long ago? He let out a short vent of exasperation. "Since he's not leaking Energon anymore, there's nothing wrong with it. As long as he gets himself in here later, it's fine. Now, who has the worst damage and needs treating first? Not _you_, Sunstreaker!" He snapped, shooting a glare at the yellow-armored mech, causing him to freeze in midstep on his way to the berth. "Scratched paint does not count as the worst damage. You do remember what I said about it before, don't you?"

Sunstreaker hurriedly went back to his former position of leaning against the wall, muttering something about how suddenly the scratches didn't look so bad after all. Ratchet shook his head and motioned Mirage-who was limping and had a nasty looking gash on his right shoulder-forward, remembering his prediction about the state the medbay would be in once the others had returned.

Yes, he had been right-it had certainly not been quiet at all.

* * *

><p>Blaster had still been recharging after Optimus and Trailbreaker had left the room the other Sparklings were in, so Sam and Carly had stayed there was well. Optimus had said that Bumblebee and the others would be back in about in an hour, and Sam knew that the first thing Bee would do-injured or not-would be to check up on his family. Bumblebee was like that; he didn't care how hurt or upset he was, he was always more concerned about those he cared about than himself. And while Sam was worried about his friend, he knew that Bumblebee couldn't have been too badly hurt in the battle if he had been among those who were able to travel back to the base on their own. That made him feel somewhat better about the situation, even though things looked bad.<p>

He'd told Carly a little bit more about Chromia and Arcee while they waited for the others to come back, including some of the things Bumblebee had told him about both femmes, such as times he'd been with them while he was still growing up on Cybertron. And while he hadn't told her about it, Carly had immediately figured out that Bumblebee liked Arcee, and Sam had found himself trying to get her to promise not to tell Arcee about it because Sam knew that Bumblebee needed to figure it out on his own. Carly knew that was true, and had agreed. That discussion _had_ helped pass the time, but it still seemed like it was taking the others too long to get back.

In the berth he was recharging in, Blaster squeaked in his recharge and rolled over. On the floor nearly, Fireflight-who had woken up not all that long ago-was taking turns between playing with his stuffed owl and staring at Computron, who was still perched on the back of the chair and talking quietly to Brains, while Wheelie was helping keep watch over the two remaining Sparklings in the room. Not that there was really much watching to do, as Fireflight seemed content to stay in one place for once and Blaster was still recharging (he would probably stay that way for a while yet as he _was_ the youngest and always recharged longer than the other Sparklings did), but it was still something that needed to be done.

The door opened, disrupting the relative quiet and causing those inside-except for Blaster, of course-to look up. Sam jumped to his feet when Sideswipe stepped inside, followed closely by Bumblebee.

"Sideswipe! Bee! Optimus told us what happened. Are you guys okay?"

"We're as okay as we can be considering what happened," Sideswipe said, shrugging. "It was bad, but we've got to do our best to move forward and fix it."

Bumblebee warbled in agreement, stepping forward to join his family next to the berth Blaster was recharging in as Sideswipe headed to where Fireflight was sitting.

"Sides!" Fireflight called out happily as Sideswipe came towards him, reaching for his caretaker with the hand that was not holding onto his toy owl.

"Hey there, Fireball," Sideswipe greeted affectionately, leaning down and picking up his Sparkling charge, holding him close and smiling as he straightened back up, though it was a weary smile. "How are you?"

Fireflight's response was a series of happy clicks as he snuggled up to his caretaker. Sideswipe looked at the others in the room. "Thanks for watching him. I'll see you later; I'm going to try to take it easy for a bit before the meeting." He turned and left the room, Fireflight still clicking happily away in his arms. The door shut behind them.

Sam turned his attention to Bumblebee as the young Autobot came to a stop next to him and Carly. He looked over his friend worriedly; even though he still knew that Bee couldn't have been hurt too badly in the fight, he was still worried about him. His concerned gaze immediately fell onto the damage on the scout's left arm and his eyes widened in worry as he looked over the deep gashes. "Bee, your arm, you're hurt. It looks bad, well, I know it's not leaking Energon or anything, but still, it l_ooks_ bad _and_ painful. Shouldn't you go see Ratchet?"

Bumblebee quickly shook his head, hoping to relieve Sam of his worry, even though he appreciated the fact that his friend always made sure he was okay after every battle. _"Not bad now. The doctor is busy-I'll stop by again later."_

Sam frowned. "You sure?"

The young Autobot nodded, and, seeing Sam accept his assessment-albeit reluctantly-he turned his own searching gaze on his human brother before turning it to Carly, then to the berth where Blaster was recharging, and then back to Sam. The same worry Sam felt himself was clearly visible in the Autobot's optics, as was an unspoken question.

Sam understood. "I'm fine, Bee. We're all fine. Well, I'm worried about what's going to happen now, but…" He shrugged, and offered a half-hearted smile. "Optimus will know what to do."

"Things don't look that great at the moment, but we'll figure them out together," Carly added.

"Besides," Sam added, looking up at his friend. "Chromia and Arcee are back. That's good out of the bad, right? I know you're happy about that." His voice turned slightly teasing. "Especially about Arcee."

Bumblebee ducked his helm shyly at Sam's last words, but he knew that Sam was only teasing. He was right, anyway, he was happy about that. And it was true; Optimus would know how the humans and the Autobots could fix this. They'd all find the solution together. Relief and gratitude had taken the place of the worry in Bumblebee's optics when he looked back up, and he glanced at Blaster's berth again before turning back to Sam and Carly and gesturing curiously towards it.

"He's had a rough time," Carly admitted, looking sympathetically at Blaster. True, the Sparkling was recharging peacefully now, but he still hadn't been handling Bumblebee's absence that well. Yes, it was better that it had been before, but that wasn't saying much.

Sam sighed, nodding in agreement with Carly as Bumblebee's expression shifted back into one of concerned worry as he looked back at Blaster and then at Sam again as his friend began to speak. "He's been really fussy and restless. He never cried, but he kept asking where you were and he had trouble recharging yesterday. He was a lot better today, but he was still anxious and wanted you."

Bumblebee chirped softly in concern, stepping up next to the berth and looking down at Blaster. The little Sparkling was tangled in the blanket Sam and Carly had given him, clinging to his stuffed penguin with his left fist partially in his mouth as he recharged. He looked okay, but that didn't mean that he _felt_ okay. The young Autobot felt a little guilty at leaving Blaster behind without reassuring him about what was going on, especially since the Sparkling still had separation anxiety, but he knew it had been necessary. And he had left Blaster in good, capable hands, and he knew that the other members of his family had done the best job possible of watching him. Bumblebee reached into the berth and, taking care not to wake him up, gently laid his two fingers from his right hand on the Sparkling's head. Blaster clicked softly in contentment and curled up tighter, but continued to recharge peacefully.

Fierce determination welled up in Bumblebee as he watched Blaster recharge. The Decepticons would _not_ be successful in whatever it was they were trying to do. He would do whatever he could to help the others make sure that the Decepticons would be stopped. The young Autobot would do what was necessary to insure that the Deceptions never hurt his family ever again. And once they were out of the way, he'd help see to it that Unicron never even caught sight of Earth. He looked at Sam and Carly as he made that silent promise to them, to Blaster, and to Wheelie and Brains. They were his family, and he would protect them.

Sam saw the determination in Bumblebee's optics and knew what it was the young Autobot was thinking. He nodded, determinedly making a promise of his own.

"The Decepticons will be sorry they ever tried to start up the war again, and Unicron's going to wish he stayed asleep, Bee. We'll work together to make sure of that."

It would be hard work, but they could do it.

Everything depended on their success in both battles. They had to find a way to fix this.

They just had too.

* * *

><p>The injured Autobots had all been treated and the medbay was relatively empty again, with just Ratchet, Chromia, Arcee, and the two Sparklings remaining present. Ratchet had given Firestorm a new set of medical datapads to read and had pointed him in the direction of the main hangar, stating that the less crowded the medbay was the better it was for the two femmes, who were awake now but still recovering.<p>

Well, not exactly.

After conducting another scan, Ratchet had given Arcee a relatively clean bill of health and permission to leave the medbay. But, stubborn femme that she was, she had refused to leave her sister's side despite being reassured by both Chromia and Ratchet that it would be okay to do so. Fortunately, Arcee had the presence of mind to stay out of the medic's way, so it wasn't any trouble at all to allow her to continue to stay in the medbay.

Ratchet had picked up one of the datapads detailing Chromia's condition, intending to read through it until he had an idea of how to help avoid what the scans showed was the most likely outcome for her when the sound of the door opening caused him to glance up in irritation, though his irritation faded when he saw who it was.

Bumblebee looked nervously at Ratchet, but when he saw Arcee and Chromia, both femmes looking significantly better than the last time he had seen them with a fully recovered Arcee standing next to the berth Chromia was sitting up on, happiness replaced the nervousness he felt at taking so long to get his injury looked at. He hadn't really had a true reunion with Arcee or Chromia as things had been too confused after the battle and before he knew what he was doing he had dashed forward and caught Arcee in a hug. Almost immediately, however, he realized just who it was he was hugging and the young Autobot hurriedly let go, looking down in an uncharacteristic display of shyness and embarrassment.

Arcee didn't mind, however, and laughed at her friend's display of affection. "It's good to see you, too, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee looked up with a relieved chirp, then turned his attention to Chromia. While she looked a lot better-there was a brightness to her optics that hadn't been there when she had been in Kentucky-she was still obviously very weak and tired. He wanted to hug her, too-after all, she was the closest thing to a mother he had-but he was afraid of hurting her, so he simply walked up to her berth and reached out to touch her hand.

"Hello, Bumblebee," Chromia said, looking at him with a tired smile. "Are you all right?" The young Autobot nodded and smiled back as best as he could, relieved that she looked so much better.

"It's about time you got yourself in here," Ratchet reprimanded then, deactivating the datapad and placing it on his desk as he stood, looking reprovingly at Bumblebee, though he was actually reluctant to break apart Bumblebee's proper reunion with the two femmes. "Red Alert said your arm needed to be looked at."

_Yeah,_ Bumblebee replied, reluctantly turning away from Chromia. _Howlback attacked me, but Red Alert stopped the Energon from leaking out._

Ratchet gestured towards an empty berth. "Get up here, and I'll patch it up the rest of the way."

Not wanting to irritate the medic any further than he no doubt already was from him taking so long to show up in the medbay, Bumblebee hurriedly complied and did his best to stay still while Ratchet evened the torn armor back out, made sure the damaged Energon lines were sealed and healing, and welded a few patches in place to cover the worst of the gashes while they healed. After what seemed like forever to the young Autobot, the last patch was in place and he was free to go.

"And please, take Arcee with you," Ratchet ordered. "She needs to get out and about, not stay in here all day."

Arcee looked indignantly at the medic. "Ratchet, I told you I want to stay here."

"No arguing," Ratchet insisted firmly. "It's an order. I need to speak to Chromia, and you need exercise. And I think there is someone Bumblebee wants you to meet. You can come back tonight. Understand?"

Arcee looked ready to protest again, but Chromia cut her off. "Arcee, please. It's only for a little while. I'll be fine."

The pink-armored femme nodded reluctantly, and, still looking unhappy, followed Bumblebee out of the medbay. Bumblebee chirped a goodbye to Chromia and Arcee gave her sister and Ratchet one last unhappy look before the door shut behind them, leaving Chromia and the medic alone.

Chromia looked appraisingly at the medic. "I think I see what you did there, sending the two of them off together."

Ratchet shrugged. "It's obvious, everyone can see it. There's not that much of an age difference between them, and it fits. They're just too afraid to tell each other about how they feel. Maybe some more time together will put things in perspective for them."

"Maybe." Chromia vented, then looked up at Ratchet. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

She watched as the medic headed back over towards his desk, picking up the datapad he had been looking over before Bumblebee had arrived, before turning and heading back towards her.

"This contains the results of the scans I ran on you. Not on Arcee, just on you. You will be able to be released to light duty soon. Your Spark will still be weak, though." Ratchet hesitated, then continued, concern and worry barely detectable in his voice. "I'm going to be honest with you, Chromia. The condition of your Spark is not good, and unless I can find a way to fix it, I'm afraid there's only one possible outcome."

She knew what he meant. To be honest, she had known this would happen ever since she felt the tearing in her Spark that had told her Ironhide had been killed. That didn't make it any easier to hear and know, however. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked back up at Ratchet. "How long?"

Ratchet let out a quiet vent. "A year. Maybe a little longer. Your Spark…it's too damaged for the normal treatment to work the way it should. The Spark Therapy will help, but it isn't a permanent fix. It can only relieve the pain. It can't fully treat the cause any longer."

Chromia nodded slowly. "I understand."

He looked at her, regret in his optics. "Chromia…I'm sorry. If we had found you sooner, things would be different."

"It's not your fault, Ratchet." Chromia was quiet, then spoke up again. "Don't tell anyone else yet, especially not Arcee and Bumblebee. I don't want them to worry more or keep treating me like I'm about to break any second. Optimus can know. But no one else."

Ratchet nodded. Making such a promise to Chromia was the least he could do for her. "I promise. I'm going to try to find alternatives, but I can't guarantee I'll be successful."

"Just knowing that you'll be trying is good enough for me, Ratchet." She fell quiet again.

Ratchet understood and remained silent as well. He knew what he had just told her was a lot to take in, and he would give her the time she needed to think it over.

The silence in the medbay was abruptly broken by a soft thud followed by a squeak of distress.

Chromia's head shot up at the sound, and she followed Ratchet's gaze to look at one of the small berths beside his desk. She hadn't given the small berth much attention earlier as she had been too tired and weak, but now, she could clearly see that it was a Sparkling-sized berth.

The red and white armored mech Sparkling standing in it and looking over in their direction with wide purple optics confirmed it.

Chromia finally found her voice. "Ratchet, is that…oh, where did you find him? What's his name?"

Ratchet headed towards the Sparkling's berth, then briefly crouched down and picked up the source of the soft thud-a stuffed toy rabbit-before straightening up and handing it back to the Sparkling, who took hold of it and hugged it tightly as he continued to stare at Chromia. A faint but undeniably loving smile was on the medic's faceplate as he looked down at the Sparkling before glancing back at Chromia.

"His name is First Aid. He's one of five Sparklings we rescued from an abandoned Decepticon camp one year ago. They were all Hatchlings then. The story is long and complicated."

"I'm sure it is," Chromia replied, still gazing at the Sparkling. "Is he yours?"

"I'm his caretaker, yes." Ratchet looked back down at First Aid. "First Aid, this is Chromia, a friend of mine."

First Aid ducked his head shyly down, burying his faceplate in his stuffed rabbit. He peeked back out at her with one optic, the rest of his face still hidden in the plush rabbit and shyly mumbled, "'lo."

_Primus, he's adorable,_ Chromia thought, smiling at the Sparkling who was still looking at her with most of his face hidden. Watching First Aid, she found that she was suddenly able to brush aside the troubled feelings she had from the news Ratchet had shared with her about her condition, at least temporarily. "He's shy, isn't he?"

"Around pretty much everyone but me and the other Sparklings, yes. Oh, and he likes Bumblebee and Red Alert. But that's perfectly normal. Lots of Sparklings are shy at this age. He'll probably grow out of it, but if he doesn't, it doesn't matter because he's fine the way he is." The medic leaned to one side, peering into a similar Sparkling berth next to First Aid's that Chromia hadn't noticed yet. "I would introduce you to Beachcomber as well, but he's currently oblivious to the world and I don't want to wake him up."

"You have two Sparklings? Who cares for the others?"

"Beachcomber and First Aid are mine, yes. Sideswipe has Fireflight, Optimus has Trailbreaker-the oldest- and Bumblebee takes care of the youngest, Blaster."

Hearing that, Chromia frowned, concern and irritation warring within her. "Bumblebee is a Sparkling caretaker? But he's a _Youngling_, Ratchet. He's still growing up himself! Why would you and Optimus let him raise a Sparkling? It's probably very challenging for him!"

"Optimus and I talked over it for a long time before we decided to allow it," Ratchet replied, evenly meeting Chromia's gaze, which was almost a full-on glare. "Chromia, Bumblebee asked for it himself. He wanted to take care of Blaster. There was a bond of love and caring between the two of them from the very beginning. We only chose to let it continue. And it was the right decision, we soon saw." Seeing Chromia shake her head in disbelief, he went on. "I assure you, Chromia, you spend five minutes watching the two of them together and you'll realize it was the right decision, too. Bumblebee loves Blaster like that Sparkling was his own and he's done a wonderful job of raising him."

Chromia shook her head again.

"Just wait until you see it for yourself before you're so quick to say no," Ratchet requested.

Chromia vented in defeat, nodding acceptance of the medic's request. She still didn't think it was a good idea for a Youngling to raise a Sparkling, but she knew that Ratchet was right. She needed to see Bumblebee and Blaster together before she could believe what Ratchet had said, if he was right about it. But despite her concerns, she still felt a sense of happiness at what she had seen. They had Sparklings again.

"You know," Chromia said softly, looking back at Ratchet. "Moonracer is going to spoil those two Sparklings rotten when she gets here."

The medic smiled slightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chromia couldn't help a smile of her own when she saw that First Aid was still shyly watching her.

* * *

><p>Arcee still felt irritated at the way Chromia and Ratchet had teamed up to effectively kick her out of the medbay, but she was finding it difficult to hold on to her irritation with Bumblebee happily talking to her as they walked down the hall, heading towards a room which she didn't know the use of, telling her about some of what had happened during the past year. Bumblebee was so upbeat and cheerful all the time that she found it hard to be upset when she was with him. He'd always been able to cheer her up, even back when they were younger. Walking down the halls of the base with Bumblebee, Arcee realized just how much she'd missed him during the past two years. She'd been genuinely touched by his happy greeting in the form of a hug back in the medbay. Arcee knew that Bumblebee was affectionate like that, but still, it had made her feel better than she had in a long time.<p>

_I could actually go inside that apartment,_ Bumblebee was saying as they came to a stop a little ways from the door to the room they had been approaching. _It was pretty cool to be able to stay in the same place as Sam, so I was really glad when Sunstreaker told me that our new house has a door for me to get inside, too. _He looked up and saw the door._ Oh, wait, we're here. Hold on, wait here, I've got to go and see if he's awake now._

"If who's awake?" She asked, but Bumblebee waved at her and headed towards the door without answering her question. She watched him, curious and slightly confused. Ratchet had said there was someone Bumblebee wanted her to meet, and Bumblebee had told her that she would love him, whoever 'he' was.

Arcee watched as Bumblebee entered the room, then jumped slightly at the sound of a happy squeal of "Bee!" coming from the room her friend had just gone into. The pink-armored femme was still thinking over what could have made the squeal when Bumblebee came back out of the room, holding something wrapped in a light blue human-made blanket. No, not something, some_one_.

A Sparkling. A Sparkling! Arcee stared in disbelief, but at the same time she found herself filled with happiness at the sight of Bumblebee carrying the Sparkling. The tiny red-armored Sparkling was clinging to Bumblebee's armor, clicking and squeaking happily at the Autobot carrying him. Bumblebee was clicking right back at the Sparkling, his optics shining with pride, happiness, and love for the little Sparkling he held as he made his way over to stand next to Arcee again.

They looked so happy together, it was impossible for her not to feel the same way just from watching them.

_Arcee, this is Blaster,_ Bumblebee announced, gently maneuvering his hold on the Sparkling so that he could see the femme. Catching sight of Arcee, Blaster's optics widened and he stared up at her curiously, wondering who this new bot was that his caretaker was showing him to.

"Hi there, Blaster. My name is Arcee," Arcee said, smiling at the Sparkling. He clicked at her, his wide purple optics still looking over her curiously. She glanced back up at Bumblebee. "Whose is he?"

Both Bumblebee's posture suddenly stiffening and the way his armor and doorwings flared slightly at her question surprised her, as did the somewhat defiant look that flickered in his optics. _He's __**mine**__._

The situation suddenly clicked in her processor, and she felt a little silly. Of course, Bumblebee must have adopted the little Sparkling. It was obvious to see, how had she missed it? "Right, sorry." She couldn't help teasing him a little, though. "So, then, who's the lucky femme?"

Bumblebee's optics widened and he shook his head quickly, flustered and embarrassed. _What?! No, that's not what I…I mean, he's…We…_

Arcee laughed slightly and gestured to calm Bumblebee down. "I know, I know. I'm just kidding, Bumblebee." She smiled, looking back at Blaster, who was still watching her. "Where did you find him?"

_An abandoned Decepticon camp in Africa, one year ago,_ Bumblebee supplied, his fluster fading as he answered his friend's question. _He was just a little Hatchling then-he was so tiny! There's four more Sparklings here at the base, but Blaster's my responsibility._

"I see." Arcee nodded.

Blaster looked up at her curiously, then looked up at Bumblebee, and then back to her, and then to Bumblebee again. He didn't know this new bot his caretaker was introducing him to, but Bumblebee liked her, so that _had_ to mean that she was nice. His caretaker wouldn't show him to a mean bot. Blaster looked up at her again and when she smiled at him, he firmly decided that he liked her, too. Satisfied that Arcee was nice and not mean, little Sparkling smiled happily at her and reached out to her, wanting the nice new bot to hold him.

Arcee's optics widened at this, but she took Blaster into her arms as Bumblebee handed him to her. The little Sparkling beamed up at her, making more of his happy clicks. She hugged him and looked at Bumblebee, smiling, both at the way the Sparkling had reacted to her and at the happy expression in Bumblebee's optics at seeing how quickly Blaster had accepted her as someone he liked.

"He's so sweet, Bumblebee," She said softly. "I can see why you're so proud of him. He's wonderful."

Bumblebee ducked his head a little, but his optics smiled at her.

After only a minute, however, Blaster started to wriggle and held his arms out to Bumblebee, whining softly, and the scout took him back from Arcee. She blinked in concern; she hadn't held him for that long, so why did he want to be back with Bumblebee so badly? But when she watched as the Sparkling returned to clinging to his caretaker, she could see why-she recognized something in the Sparkling's behavior, why he had only let her hold him for a minute before wanting to go back to Bumblebee, even though he obviously liked her. She felt a twist in her Spark at the implications behind it.

"He has separation anxiety, doesn't he?" She asked quietly.

Bumblebee flinched slightly, looking down again as he held Blaster a little closer. _Yeah, he does. But it's not his fault._

"What happened?" Arcee said.

_The Decepticons_, Bumblebee replied. He didn't say anything else.

He didn't have to. Arcee understood.

She understood all too well.


	22. The Rebirth

**A/N: **_I apologize for the long delay in getting this chapter out. Real life, the annoyance that it is, got in the way again. (no, I was not doing nothing but sitting around playing Pokémon X, that has nothing to do with it, I swear) Anyway, I was finally able to get everything in order again towards the end of last week and the beginning of this week and finish this._

_I'm branching out a bit more with character viewpoints in this chapter. Red Alert finally gets his own segment and Chromia and Arcee both get some more time in the spotlight. Ratbat also has a little bit to himself as well._

_I realize I've been neglecting the humans and I'm sorry. I'm one of those oddball Transformers fans who believes the human characters are every bit as important as the Transformers themselves, so it really bothers me that I've had to set them aside for so many chapters. There is a human-centric-for-the-most-part chapter coming up, however, so hopefully that will fix the balance here._

_I also hope I wrote Optimus's reasoning about facing the Decepticons properly enough for it to be understandable. If not, let me know and I'll try to fix it._

_That said, there may or may not be a delay in-between this chapter and the next. In a couple of weeks I'll be going to Orlando-namely Universal Studios and Disney World-with my parents. Needless to say I'll be too distracted by Harry Potter and Transformers and Disney and not be able to concentrate enough on writing (though hopefully the Transformers ride will aide my inspiration for this story). The next chapter will be one of the shorter ones, so it shouldn't take too long to finish, but I can't promise that it will be up any time between now and December 10. I'll try, but don't be surprised if it isn't up before then._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-One-The Rebirth**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 18,116**

* * *

><p>AFTER A BRIEF CONFERENCE WITH PROWL, OPTIMUS Prime had taken Trailbreaker back to the quarters they shared. He had asked his Second-in-Command to see to it that the skies of the planet would be as closely monitored as possible-if Cyclonus had spoken the truth, the Decepticons would be leaving Earth, and the Autobots and their human allies would need to be informed immediately if that happened, so that they would be able to take advantage of the Decepticons' absence in any way possible. The meeting set for that evening would help matters as well.<p>

With that taken care of and with Trailbreaker occupied with finishing the drawing he had been working on when Optimus had arrived to retrieve him from the recharge area, the Prime was able to take advantage of the time he had set aside for everyone to rest before the meeting took place, sitting at his desk and looking over one of the old datapads he had brought with him to Earth, back when he and the others had been searching for the All-Spark. While it was true that nearly everything concerning the All-Spark remained a mystery, all that the Autobots_ had_ known about it had been placed onto a series of datapads that Optimus had taken with him when the search for it had begun. Even though he had memorized their contents long ago, the Prime had pulled them out again, reading through them just in case he had missed something, something that would provide a hint as to whether or not one shard of the All-Spark would be enough to completely restore Megatron this time.

Unfortunately, the All-Spark had never been shattered before; there had never been any shards to be studied before Mission City. As long as it had been on Cybertron, the All-Spark had been whole. There were no hidden answers in the datapad he held, or in any of the others, leaving Optimus with what he already knew.

It shouldn't be possible. If it was the All-Spark as a whole, then yes, it would be able to be done. But as powerful as a single shard of the All-Spark was, it didn't come close to the power the All-Spark had in its entirety. The one shard the Decepticons had, if it was still in their possession, would not have the power to revive Megatron this time. The damage that had sent him offline in Chicago had been too severe; his entire body had nearly been destroyed, not just his Spark chamber like in Mission City. There was too much damage done to be restored by a single All-Spark shard this time.

So what did Cyclonus know that the Autobots didn't? What did he have that allowed him to be so certain that his plan would be successful? What could revive Megatron this time, and where was it?

And, most importantly, how could the Decepticons be stopped?

_Optimus, sir?_ The comm from Prowl brought the Autobot leader out of his troubled thoughts. Shaking his head, he answered.

_Yes, Prowl?_

_We've just received confirmation of what seemed to be a Deception Warship taking off in the Appalachian Mountains. It left the planet's atmosphere not too long after it was spotted._

_The Deceptions are moving quickly._ Optimus frowned. _So Cyclonus was telling the truth after all._

_Or at least partially,_ Prowl agreed. _What now, sir?_

_See to it that those monitoring the skies keep watch for the Decepticons' return,_ Optimus ordered. _We will discuss this further at the meeting._

_Yes, sir,_ Prowl replied, and his comm cut off.

So the Decepticons were already on the move. That was very troubling. Optimus vented wearily, then went about putting the datapads he had been reading away. At his caretaker's movement, Trailbreaker looked up, sensing that something was wrong.

"Opt 'kay?" The Sparkling asked worriedly.

"I am fine, Trailbreaker," Optimus reassured gently. "I am just concerned over recent events, that is all. It is nothing you need to worry about, little one."

Trailbreaker got to his feet and unsteadily walked over to his caretaker. Once he was close, he hugged one of Optimus's legs tightly. Even though he had told Trailbreaker that he was fine, Optimus could see that the Sparkling could obviously still tell that he was worried about something, and it was also plain to see that it was making him feel worried, too. "It 'kay, Opt?"

"We are going to do our best to make sure it will be." Optimus put a comforting hand on Trailbreaker's head. He did not want his Sparkling charge to be troubled by what was going on and had not intended to worry him. "You are the one who suggested how. Remember?"

Trailbreaker looked up at Optimus, nodding seriously. "Plans."

"That is right." The Prime smiled slightly and held out one of the datapads he was still holding. "Now, will you help me put these away?"

Trailbreaker eagerly nodded again, reaching up to take the datapad his caretaker was offering him. "'kay, Opt."

As he and Trailbreaker put the datapads away, Optimus sent a comm message out to each of the other Autobots, informing them that the meeting would take place in the main hangar in an hour's time.

_The Decepticons have given us time to decide what must be done,_ The Prime thought resolutely. _ And we are going to take advantage of it while we are able._

* * *

><p>The rust-colored, barren landscape of the planet the human insects called Mars wasn't exactly what one would consider an ideal place to live, but for the Decepticons gathered on the dusty surface, that didn't matter. They hadn't come here looking for a place to live-the planet had something else that they required. In any case, their presence on the planet was only temporary.<p>

Salvo led the way across the red landscape, closely followed by Cyclonus. Soon, both Decepticons came to a stop in front of the reason for their being on the red planet in the first place.

"I was told of this when I first arrived on Earth, but never really gave any thought to it until now. Starscream basically threw it together, as you can see. He barely had an understanding of how the system worked, so it's primitive, limited range, and in need of repair. However, I will say that it carried out the job he had for it with no problems, so it may be of some use to us, provided we get it working again," Salvo reported dutifully to the acting Decepticon leader, gesturing at the reason that the Decepticons had chosen Mars as the new base for them to operate from while the last steps of the plan were achieved.

Cyclonus looked up at the tarnished, broken-down remnants of the planet-rooted Space Bridge thoughtfully. The structure lacked the refinement of a Space Bridge constructed by an expert and a long period of being unused had taken its toll, but it would do. It only had to take them so far, and it was still fairly intact-they had more than enough to work with. "Do you think you can get it up and running again, better than when Starscream first utilized it? It needs to be able to transport us to where we will be meeting Unicron, and then return us here."

Salvo shrugged. "I'm fairly confident that we can get it up and running again. I also believe that we can increase the transport range, as well. I will get all those who have experience in this manner-as well as those who remain from the Decepticons that were present at the time of its construction-working on it immediately. It will take a while, though. Judging by the shape it's in right now, it will most likely be three weeks before the repairs and modifications are complete."

"Get to work now, then. Inform me as soon as the Space Bridge is in working order again," Cyclonus ordered, turning away from his Second-in-Command and heading towards the fighter the non-flight capable Decepticons had used to reach the planet-the only one left from the invasion of the human city of Chicago-where the rest of the Decepticons were busy unloading and setting up the equipment that had been brought along from their Earth base. "I have something I need to attend to in the meantime."

* * *

><p>Ratbat squealed in pain as he was flung savagely to the ground, Energon flowing out of a gash on his back. He flapped his wings weakly, trying to get back in the air, but only succeeded in churning up red dust as Cyclonus strode forward and struck him again. Off to one side, a snarling Howlback was being restrained by two other Decepticons-a precaution, as Cyclonus knew that Howlback's Cassette bond with Ratbat might possibly override her loyalty to the Decepticon cause and make her retaliate against the harm being dished out to her fellow Cassette. Judging by the way she was growling and struggling against those restraining her, it was a well-needed precaution.<p>

"So, you spent two years in the company of _Autobots_." Cyclonus's voice was full of cold disgust. "What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I told them nothing!" Ratbat cried out, covering his head with his wings as he was struck again. "I only went with them because it offered the best chance at surviving long enough to come back! I never betrayed the Decepticons, I swear!"

"Yet did _you_ try to get information out of _them_? No, you don't need to answer that. I can tell that you didn't." Cyclonus sneered condescendingly at the bat-formed Decepticon cowering in the dirt, pointing his Energon blade at him for emphasis. "You traveled with Autobots, Ratbat. You went with the enemy. That makes you as good as a traitor. I should kill you right now."

The fact that Cyclonus did not raise his voice despite the fact that he was clearly furious frightened Ratbat far more than the sight of the Energon blade pointed at him. The small Decepticon whimpered in fear, trying to make himself as small as he possibly could, waiting for Cyclonus to deliver the final blow that he had no doubt was coming.

"However…" The change in the Decepticon leader's tone of voice caused Ratbat to look up as Cyclonus shifted his Energon blade away and leaned closer to Ratbat's level as he continued speaking. "As Soundwave is dead, our Espionage unit cannot afford to lose a single member to make up for his absence. Therefore, I will allow you to continue to live. If you falter again, however, I have a way to punish you that will bring you to the most painful end imaginable. Understand?"

"Yes." Ratbat nodded quickly, then screamed as Cyclonus reactivated his Energon blade and pierced one of the Cassette's wings with it.

"The punishment I have given you was mild compared to what you deserve or will receive if you do this again," Cyclonus said coldly. "Do not make me regret sparing you."

"I won't, I won't, I swear!" Ratbat wailed.

Cyclonus withdrew his Energon blade, releasing Ratbat, who remained cowering in the dust. Turning away as if bored, he motioned to the two others to release Howlback. Now that he was no longer disciplining Ratbat, the blue and silver armored Cassette was no longer fighting to get free from the Decepticons restraining her, although she did still shoot a savage glare in Cyclonus's direction.

"He is not permanently damaged," He told her dismissively. He knew that Howlback's shared bond with Ratbat made her aggressive to any who hurt him-it was a side effect of the Cassette bond as Cassettes were usually smaller than average Cybertronians and, as a result, would need to come together to protect each other in battle. The fact that she did not retaliate as the Decepticons restraining her let her go seemed to show that her primary loyalty was still to the Decepticon cause, not to a fellow Cassette, in spite of the bond she had with him. Still, Cyclonus knew he would need to watch her carefully for a while, just in case any resentment over Ratbat's punishment had come into existence in Howlback. The blue-armored Decepticon might only be a Cassette, but she was a fierce fighter and powerful in spite of her small size. If she turned against them, it would not be a loss that would leave the Decepticons unscathed, in more ways than one.

Yes, Howlback would need to be watched. Such precautions should be unnecessary, but no need to take foolish risks now that the plan was coming to a close soon.

"Now what?" A nearby Decepticon, who had stopped to watch the proceedings, asked as Cyclonus began to walk towards the ship.

"I am going to look over the final stages of the plan," Cyclonus informed those who remained nearby. "Once the ship is unloaded, expect for the room I shall be occupying, I want all of you to assist Salvo in repairing that Space Bridge in any way you can. I don't care if you have no idea what to do, everyone has to work on it-no exceptions. Salvo will give you your orders. Do not disturb me unless the need is important." He turned and disappeared into the ship.

* * *

><p>As the other Decepticons dispersed back to what they had been doing before Cyclonus had attacked Ratbat, Howlback trotted up to him and lowered her head to look him over.<p>

"Are you alright?" She asked in an undertone, taking care that she was not overheard.

Ratbat sat up with a wince, favoring his left wing. "I've survived worse."

That was true, but in reality, the brutal punishment Cyclonus had given him had been terrifying, not just painful. He'd been away from the Decepticons for so long, he had forgotten how savage their lifestyle was. Ratbat wasn't sure he liked it much anymore, especially after spending two years in the presence of Autobots-whose lifestyle was about as different from the Decepticons as you could get-but it was where he belonged. With the Decepticons…and with Howlback. Soundwave would have wanted them to stay together. He'd just have to get used to it again.

"Come on, you need to get you injuries fixed so that you can work on the Space Bridge with everyone else." Howlback allowed Ratbat to climb onto her back, setting off towards a group of the Scalpel medical drones. Her voice was emotionless, but Ratbat knew better. Their Cassette bond with each other was weak now that Soundwave was dead, but it _was_ still there, and they could still sense each others' emotions. Howlback was worried about his injuries, angry at Cyclonus for what he had done to him, and furious with herself for not being able to prevent or at least reduce the punishment Ratbat had received. There was also a recently surfaced hint of doubt there, a feeling that had come into existence while they had still been traveling to Mars on the warship, but Ratbat couldn't tell what that was about; it was too faint and deeply hidden for him to sense clearly. He could tell that Howlback was trying to shove that doubt out of her mind, so he would try not to let it concern him either.

Besides, there was something else he needed to know at the moment.

"This battle that's coming, that Cyclonus and everyone else are talking about. It's going to be the true final stand, isn't it?" Ratbat asked hesitantly. As the youngest of Soundwave's Cassettes, he had never been in any serious battles, only small skirmishes with Autobot patrols and espionage missions, so he admittedly felt a little edgy about being in one now, especially when Soundwave was no longer there to assist his Cassettes in battle. And, in spite of what he told Cyclonus about never faltering again, he wasn't sure if he could bring himself to hurt Arcee or Chromia. Yes, they were Autobots, but they _had_ helped him. Even though their deal to help each other was done, he still felt like he owed them. He hoped that choosing whether or not he had to fight them wouldn't be a decision he had to make. "One way or another, it's going to end things."

"Yes," Howlback growled, coming to a stop on top of a large rock, digging her claws into it. "And I'm going to personally make sure that the cursed Autobot who killed Soundwave is ripped to pieces _while_ he's still alive. And then, once all of the Autobots are destroyed…" She fell silent.

_Howlback?_ Ratbat questioned over a private comm after the silence had stretched for a while. He was concerned over her silence and the strong feelings of determination to do _something_ that he felt coming from her end of the bond. _What is it?_

His fellow Cassette looked over her shoulder at him, a determined expression on her faceplate. Ratbat looked back at her expectantly.

_When the time comes, there is something else that we need to do, but the true reasons for us doing it will need to be kept secret, and I mean secret as in only the two of us know. No one else. Especially not Cyclonus and Scourge. Understand? _

Ratbat nodded, and Howlback, obviously satisfied that he would keep what she was about to tell him a secret, wasted no time in continuing.

_You remember the Hatchlings, don't you?_

* * *

><p>Chromia was still weak, but she was now stable enough that Ratchet felt it would be alright to leave her in the medbay by herself while he attended the meeting in the main hangar with the others. Just as a precaution, however, he set alerts to let him know if anything were to happen. Her condition was still not the best and it was be better to be prepared in case something went wrong, and as Arcee would be at the meeting as well instead of staying with her sister-she hadn't returned to the medbay after leaving with Bumblebee earlier anyway-having alerts set was the best option.<p>

"You need to stay on the berth and keep resting. Your vitals have improved but you're by no means fit to be up and about yet," Ratchet said, making one last adjustment on the Spark monitor that was hooked up to the blue-armored femme, before turning back to face her. "I have alerts set that will let me know if anything happens, but if you start to feel worse, I want you to let me know immediately. Don't wait for the alerts to go off."

Chromia nodded. "I will, Ratchet."

"Good." The medic turned and walked over to where Beachcomber and First Aid were playing. Beachcomber had been far less shy when he had been introduced to Chromia after waking from recharge than First Aid had been, but Ratchet had still made sure that _both_ Sparklings had stayed out of the way-while it was true that both of his Sparklings were usually quiet and well-behaved, they were _still_ Sparklings, and Chromia needed to rest. There would be plenty of time for her to spend time with them once she was stronger.

After picking up First Aid and taking Beachcomber's hand, Ratchet headed towards the door. He hesitated when it opened, and turned back to look at Chromia before exiting the medbay.

"I'll tell Optimus what I told you about after the meeting, once everyone else has left, so that no one will overhear, like you wanted," Ratchet promised.

"Thank you, Ratchet," Chromia said softly.

The medic nodded and stepped out of the medbay, the door sliding shut behind him as he began to head towards the main hangar, Beachcomber keeping pace beside him, still holding his hand while First Aid held tightly onto his armor as he was carried. Ratchet was still concerned about Chromia, because while she had improved during the few hours she had been undergoing treatment, he knew it wasn't a full recovery, and that there in all likelihood wouldn't be one. But he wasn't going to give up; he had promised. At the very least, he would do his best to make sure she didn't suffer.

Ratchet shook his head. He didn't need to focus on this, not right now. It was important, yes, but the meeting he was on his way to was the more pressing matter at the moment.

Most of the others were already present in the main hangar when Ratchet entered, though Optimus was not yet there. Those who had Sparklings were near the play area, while those who did not, along with the humans, where standing more in the middle of the hangar-close enough to the play area to keep watch over the Sparklings during the meeting but not close enough for said Sparklings to be completely bothered by the somber atmosphere-either conversing quietly with each other or looking around, waiting for the last of them to arrive so the meeting could begin. Even Scattershot was there, looking very nervous from where he was standing close to Red Alert and Prowl. Ratchet didn't fail to notice that Arcee kept glancing warily at the former Decepticon, much in the same way she had done to Firestorm earlier in the medbay. It was understandable, but perhaps after the meeting she would accept that the newest Decepticon defectors in the Autobot ranks were no danger to anyone, or, at least, _begin_ to believe it.

The medic made his way towards the play area, setting First Aid and Beachcomber inside before turning at the sound of approaching footsteps coming from the corridor that led to the Autobots' individual quarters, signaling the arrival of Optimus Prime.

The Autobot leader stepped into the main hangar, a solemn-faced Trailbreaker walking close beside him. He looked over the assembled Autobots and humans, his expression grave, before heading over to the play area as well to leave Trailbreaker with the others.

_Optimus, there is something I need to tell you in private once the meeting is over,_ Ratchet informed the Prime over a private comm as the two of them and the others near the play area moved to join the rest of the assembled NEST team.

_Concerning Scattershot?_ The Prime asked.

_No. Well, yes, I still need to let you know how he acted while you were gone, but that's not it. It's about Chromia._

Optimus glanced at him, concern in his optics. _I see. Of course. After the meeting, then._

Ratchet nodded as they arrived next to the others, cutting of the comm so that the meeting could begin.

Optimus turned to face the others and spoke aloud. "As many of you know, we recently found out what it was the Decepticons were after when they attacked our base and hacked into the Autobot Network. This is not the only crisis we are dealing with at the moment, but we need to find a solution regardless. But for the sake of those present who were not here when this began and do not know of either threat, I will start from the beginning."

* * *

><p>Arcee listened with growing concern as Optimus provided a brief overview of what had recently been happening. The Prime had provided a brief explanation of the events of the past two years to her and Chromia on the way to the base, but had not mentioned anything about what the Decepticons had been up to in Kentucky, or any other recent events, choosing to save those explanations for the meeting. As Optimus now explained in detail what had been happening in the recent months, Arcee listened with mounting disbelief before she finally couldn't hold back anymore.<p>

"Unicron?" She asked, looking up at the Prime with a mixture of disbelief and worry in her optics. She'd only thought the meeting would be about what the Decepticons were doing; she hadn't expected that the Autobots were dealing with anything else, especially not something as unbelievable as _this_. "Sir, are you sure?"

"Without an ounce of doubt, Arcee," Optimus said, looking at her seriously. "Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but we cannot afford to chance otherwise."

"But it's just a story. How can you be sure that Firestorm isn't lying about this?" Arcee shot another wary look at Firestorm. While she knew that there were former Decepticons among the Autobots-Wheelie and Brains (even though she didn't really know Brains that well as he had joined shortly before she and Chromia had been separated from the others), and Jetfire had died to help them in Egypt-and Ratbat had helped them for two years, she still couldn't help feeling unsure about believing a Decepticon warning them about _Unicron_, of all things. Unicron was a story told to get Younglings to behave. How could he be real; how could the Autobots take it seriously like they were doing?

"Firestorm risked his Spark to warn us. It would be foolish to think that he chanced offlining just to lie to us about something like this."

Still unsure, Arcee was ready to protest again, but a private comm from Bumblebee stopped her.

_Arcee, I trust him._

_How can you say that, Bumblebee?_ She turned to look at her friend in surprise. _He's a Decepticon. What makes you so sure?_

_When I first saw him, I could tell he wouldn't hurt anyone. I just knew he wouldn't, somehow. And…_ Bumblebee looked down, a look of intense sadness and pain briefly surfacing in his optics before vanishing. _Something about him reminds me of Ironhide._

_Bumblebee…_ Arcee didn't know how to respond to that, torn between wanting to comfort her friend over the pain she had seen in his optics at mentioning Ironhide and shaking her head in argument with his words. A Decepticon reminded Bumblebee of the Autobot who had raised him? Did that mean that Firestorm was really nothing more than an old warrior with a soft side, just like Ironhide had been? She could tell Bumblebee honestly believed that Firestorm could be trusted. Somehow, Bumblebee could see that and she couldn't. Then again, Bumblebee was a scout and trusted his instincts, which had told him that Firestorm was no threat, but _she_ wasn't a scout, and still wasn't sure.

_Besides,_ Bumblebee continued, looking up again, _Optimus trusts him._

The look on the young scout's faceplate plainly showed he believed that was reason enough.

Arcee was silent for a moment, thinking over both what Optimus and Bumblebee had said. Part of her still didn't want to believe this, but seeing how seriously the others were taking it…she knew Optimus and Bumblebee were both right in what they had said. They couldn't afford to take the risk that it wasn't true. Everyone on the planet would die if they dismissed it and it turned out to be real after all.

And Optimus was their leader. She should trust him. Bumblebee was right. If Optimus Prime said the threat was real, then it was real.

But she still wasn't ready to fully trust Firestorm, or Scattershot for that matter. Not yet; she'd have to learn more about them and see.

Finally, she looked back at the Prime and nodded. "All right. I still don't want to believe it, but if you believe it, sir, that's good enough for me. I'll help in any way I can."

Optimus offered her a slight smile. "Thank you, Arcee. We are glad for your help." His expression turned serious again, and he continued where he had left off when Arcee had interrupted him. "Yes, Unicron is coming, but we are working to be as well-prepared for that as we can be. In a way, we know what we are dealing with in that fight. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for what we are now facing from the Decepticons. We know now that they attacked our base in order to steal the information regarding the location of Megatron's remains, and that they attempted to retrieve them. And we all know that there can only be one reason that the Decepticons would do such a thing."

Arcee's optics widened. "They're going to try to revive him again?"

Optimus nodded gravely. "Yes. I can see of no other reason why they would want to take Megatron's remains."

"So…that was what they were doing when Chromia and I…when Silverbolt and Firestorm found us. They were trying to get away with Megatron's remains."

"And they were successful," Will Lennox said grimly. "They had them cleared out of there long before we even got there."

"Unfortunately, that is true." The Prime shook his head. "We were unable to prevent the Decepticons from obtaining Megatron's remains. There was a battle, but it was only a diversion. Cyclonus led the Decepticons in a full retreat, after telling us that he intends for them to leave Earth. His words were suspicious and hard to believe, but once we returned to base, I took action to see if there was a chance that he was not lying to us." Optimus looked at Prowl, gesturing for him to speak.

"While it was initially hard to believe what he told us, I can now say with absolute certainty that Cyclonus was telling the truth about leaving," Prowl said, dutifully reporting his findings. "Per Optimus's instructions, I have been overseeing the monitoring of the skies and, just a little over an hour ago, received a report of a ship, whose appearance matched that of a Decepticon warship, taking off from the Appalachian Mountains and departing the planet's atmosphere soon after. Its destination, however, was impossible to tell."

"We can try to figure it out, though, can't we? I mean, does anyone know how fast their ship can travel through space?" Sam asked. "That might tell us where they could be by now, at least."

"Our ships are able to travel much greater distances in a far shorter amount of time than any human-built spacecraft," Diesel answered before any of the other Autobots could reply. "And if the ship has the right engineering, or if certain modifications made to it, it can travel even faster. So it could be as close as your moon by now or at the fringes of the solar system, or even outside the system altogether, depending on how fast they were going, and on how the ship is engineered. Of course, it also all depends on _where_ they were going in the first place…" The gray-green armored Autobot paused and looked at the others, who were looking at him in surprise; Diesel hadn't said anything so fast or with such absolute confidence since his arrival at the base. A look of uncertainty crossed his faceplate. "What?"

"You know about ship engineering and modifications?" Sideswipe asked.

"Well, yeah, I mean, I worked in the shipyards at the shore district I was stationed at during the war. I sort of…picked it up there, I guess."

"You should be with the Wreckers." Sideswipe looked impressed.

"There will be plenty of time for idle conversation later," Ratchet interrupted before Diesel could reply to Sideswipe. "There are more important matters to discuss right now." Ignoring the sheepish looks on Sideswipe and Diesel's faces, the medic turned to address Sam. "Diesel is right, Sam. The speed of a Cybertronian ship depends on the type of ship and the modifications it has, but, regardless of that, they are still faster than any human spacecraft." He frowned. "Unfortunately, that means they could be anywhere by now."

"But where _would _they go, and _why?_ And for that matter, why would they want to leave Earth in the first place? Especially seeing as how Cyclonus said they'd be back to fight again, anyway?" Red Alert was looking around agitatedly. "Maybe they're trying to lull us into a false sense of security and haven't gone very far. They'd want someplace where they could get back here as fast as possible and fight us once they're ready to."

"That could be true." Prowl looked thoughtful. "But that still doesn't tell us their exact location, let alone why they would choose it, or even what they have that they believe can bring Megatron back."

"This is just like the Decepticons," Arcee said, a hint of the anger alongside the worry she felt present in her voice. "They can't handle defeat, so they're going to come at us again." She turned to look back at Optimus. "What should we do, sir?"

"We must all think carefully," Optimus said seriously. "We need to find the answers as soon as we possibly can."

* * *

><p>Scattershot had been listening to the conversation between the Autobots and humans with wide optics. No one had asked him to say anything yet and he honestly didn't think they would. It wasn't like he had much to offer in the way of information, anyway. Everything that had been discussed in the meeting so far was news to him. He couldn't believe just how much about Cyclonus's plan he hadn't known. A wave of bitterness swept through him. <em>Because I wasn't important enough to know, that's why. <em>

Hearing about Unicron was bad enough, but the idea of Megatron being revived was worse, in a way. The possibility of it happening scared Scattershot just as much as he could see it bothered the Autobots. Even back when he'd more or less been a loyal Decepticon, Megatron had terrified him, and now that he knew the truth about how he had become a Decepticon in the first place, that fear was stronger. Megatron was a mech who had ordered the slaughter of all those at the Youth Sectors except for the ones he thought he could find a use for, and he would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted, no matter how many innocent lives he destroyed or ruined along the way.

_I have to help! I'm an Autobot now. More or less. There's got to be something I know that can help Optimus Prime. Think, Scattershot, think!_ He wracked his processors for anything, any bit of information he knew or had overheard while with the Decepticons.

Then, just as Red Alert was suggesting that the Decepticons were still close by, even though they were no longer on Earth, Scattershot suddenly knew where the others had gone. Casting nervous glances at both Prowl and Red Alert, he stepped slightly forward, away from them and towards Optimus Prime. He froze when the Autobot leader looked at him, suddenly hesitant to speak up when he had obviously interrupted the conversation that had been going on while he had been thinking. Maybe they wouldn't want to hear what he had to say, maybe he was wrong; he had been a Decepticon, after all, the others probably wouldn't believe him…

"Yes, Scattershot?" Optimus questioned, looking at the orange-armored mech. "Do you have something to add?"

The Prime's voice, while serious, was kind, and Scattershot straightened slightly, his nervousness and hesitancy fading a little. The others might not trust him yet, but Optimus had been fair and supportive ever since he had been little more than a captive. He'd hear Scattershot out.

"Yes, sir. Um, I think…I think I know where the Decepticons have gone, sir."

"And why didn't you say anything before now?" Sunstreaker demanded hotly. Scattershot flinched at the other mech's tone, but before he could reply, Optimus looked reprovingly at Sunstreaker.

"Enough, Sunstreaker." He turned back to Scattershot and nodded encouragingly. "Go on, Scattershot."

"I realized it when Red Alert said that the Decepticons could still be nearby despite not being on Earth," Scattershot said quickly, gaining a little bit of confidence at Optimus's encouragement. "And it made me remember something. A few years ago, when Megatron first died, Starscream tried to take over. But not all of the Decepticons wanted to follow him, so he decided to try and create a new All-Spark to win them over. In order to do that, he needed to get to Cybertron quickly, because he thought there would be more supporters to win over there, so he had a planet-based Space Bridge built on Mars."

"I remember that!" Arcee exclaimed, a look of surprise crossing her faceplate. "I was part of a group of Autobots that went there and tried to stop him. We went through the Space Bridge, but in the battle the other Autobots I was with were injured, so I had to leave them with some medics when I went back through the Bridge to return to Earth. That was about five years ago, though."

"Yes, but we…um, I mean, the Decepticons," Scattershot quickly corrected himself, "Always kept the location on file, in case the Space Bridge was ever needed again. I think…I think that if Cyclonus were to choose a place off of Earth to relocate the Decepticons to, it would be to Mars, especially if he needed a way to quickly get to a location far away, but still have the ability to easily reach Earth."

"Wait a minute," Carly spoke up suddenly, before any of the others could reply to Scattershot's words. "A Space Bridge, like the one Sentinel set up in Chicago? But that required thousands of control pillars launched into orbit. Wouldn't that have been noticed-picked up on a satellite, or something similar?"

"There is more than one type of Space Bridge," Ratchet explained. "Depending on what kind they are, they all appear different. Sentinel's Space Bridge was made up of many smaller ones that could combine to transport an entire planet, or used in smaller quantities to transport ships or individuals. The one Scattershot is talking about is strictly planet-based, meaning the Bridge structure itself is based on a planet, making it not quite so noticeable, and it functions on a smaller scale. Most likely, it can only transport one regular-sized ship. Not a planet."

"It can also transport individuals," Scattershot offered. "And…while it was only used to get to Cybertron, it can transport pretty much anywhere as long as coordinates are provided."

"So they have access to an on-planet Space Bridge." Optimus looked thoughtful. "That seems to prove that whatever Cyclonus believes will revive Megatron is far away. With the Space Bridge, he can travel wherever he needs to go and return from there in an instant." He focused on Scattershot again. "Scattershot, do you know of any method Cyclonus might use to revive Megatron?"

Scattershot shook his head, fighting a wave of disappointment at the fact that he had no answer to give to Optimus's question. "No, sir, at least nothing that he has with him. Cyclonus and Scourge brought a lot of Cybertronian equipment with them when they arrived here, but none of it was medical supplies. It was all monitors, signal dampeners, and weapons. And…all that was on Mars was the Space Bridge. No one really stayed on Mars to take care of the Space Bridge, though, so it's probably broken down now, sir."

"But you believe they can get it working again?"

"Yes, sir. There's still a lot of the technicians left who worked on it originally."

"I see." The Prime considered this new information briefly, before speaking again. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Scattershot?"

Scattershot thought hard. Cyclonus had seen to it that nearly all of the Decepticons had remained in the dark concerning the details of his plan, and, unfortunately, that included him. But there had to be something else…he thought back to the day Salvo and Bullseye had discovered the stockpile of unrefined Energon in an abandoned mine, when Cyclonus had called the meeting at the Pinnacle to let the Decepticons know that they would make their move soon. What was it he had said? The words surfaced in his memory-_I had quite a lengthy journey through the stars. I learned things, made discoveries. There is someone out there, an extremely powerful being, that we can ally ourselves with and, by doing so, our victory over the Autobots and their human pets is assured._ But what did that mean?

"Cyclonus told us that he'd made discoveries before he came to Earth," Scattershot said hesitantly. "And…that there was someone very powerful that the Decepticons needed to ally themselves with…an extremely powerful being, he said." He looked up at Optimus nervously, edging back towards Red Alert and Prowl now that he had shared his information, ready to go back to listening to the others. "That's all I know, sir."

"Thank you, Scattershot." Optimus nodded gratefully at the orange-armored mech, then turned back to the others. "So, it seems we finally have the proof that what the Decepticons seek is located elsewhere among the stars, and now we also know that they intend to use the Space Bridge to get there. However, the question remains…who is it the Decepticons seek?"

Silence filled the hangar for a long moment, until Firestorm abruptly broke it.

"An extremely powerful being…I wonder if…" The old Seeker's optics widened in shock, horror edging into his voice as he continued to speak. "Primus, no. Why did I not realize this earlier?"

"What is it, Firestorm?" Optimus asked, concern making its way into his voice.

Firestorm shifted in agitation, turning his head to look at the Prime. "The threats are intertwined, Optimus Prime. How could I not know this? The legends say as much." He shook his head. "The Decepticons emerging from hiding…Unicron approaching…the fact that they are happening now is no coincidence. Do you not see? The Decepticons knew, and that is why they left the planet for a place where they could have the means of traveling far in a short amount of time."

Abruptly Optimus realized what Firestorm meant, and his optics widened briefly in sock before narrowing slightly in concern. "You are saying that the Decepticons are seeking the help of Unicron in their efforts to revive Megatron?"

"Yes. According to Scattershot, Cyclonus mentioned that the Decepticons needed to seek out the help of an extremely powerful being. Unicron fits that description. The Legends even say that Unicron has the power to revive the dead so that they may serve him!" Firestorm had broken slightly from the gathered others, pacing slightly back and forth in his agitation. The former Decepticon was normally calm; even when he had first awoken in the medbay and was desperate to deliver his message, he had not been so agitated. Seeing him like this proved that the situation was far worse than any of them had anticipated. "There can be no doubt that the Decepticons are restoring the Space Bridge so that they can travel to Unicron's current location and seek his help."

"But will he give it?" Prowl asked. "Unicron may have been believed to be nothing more than a story, but everyone knows of his reputation. I think he'd as soon destroy them as look at them, rather than bend to help mere Cybertronians."

"Unless he believed he would get something in return," Optimus mused. The Prime had a strong feeling just what it was that Unicron would demand in return for helping the Decepticons. "And I believe I know what that price would be. He will demand my destruction, and, by that, the destruction of the Matrix of Leadership."

"But isn't he coming here to try and do that anyway?" Sam asked, looking from Optimus to Firestorm worriedly. "Why bother to make the Decepticons do it, if he's already coming?"

"Because then he will not have to worry about any danger to himself," Firestorm supplied. "This way, he will just be able to devour Earth and move on. There is a chance he will refuse, but if he sees that it will work to his advantage, he will help the Decepticons."

"How do we know that Unicron won't just come through the Space Bridge when the Decepticons open it? Maybe _that's_ what they're trying to do," Sideswipe spoke up, looking suspiciously at Firestorm for answers, the shock of knowing what the Decepticons were actually planning temporarily making him forget his personal rule to never talk to the old Seeker if he could help it.

"Even trapped in his alternate mode as he is currently, he is far too large to come through a planet-based Space Bridge," Firestorm replied. "If it was the full-scale one mentioned earlier, he _would_ be able to travel through. But such a thing is impossible with the one the Decepticons currently have. No, they will only use it to get to where Unicron currently is."

"Are we going to try and stop them, sir?" Prowl asked, looking at Optimus.

Optimus considered the options. The Autobots could travel to Mars and end the fight immediately, before the Decepticons had the chance to get to Unicron. There would be no threat to Earth if that was what they chose to do. They could also wait and see what happened. There was a chance that Unicron would destroy the Decepticons for daring to approach him in the first place, but there was also a possibility that he would assist them and restore Megatron. No matter which option they chose, however, there would still be a battle with the Decepticons. All that would be different would be the location where that battle would be fought.

However, there was one important factor to be taken into consideration when facing a confrontation with the Decepticons-the number of their forces. The Decepticons may have suffered heavy losses in Chicago, but they still outnumbered the Autobots. On Earth, the Autobots could count on their human allies to even the odds, but the human members of NEST would not be able to travel to Mars with them; they simply did not have the means to travel and fight on another planet. It would not be safe. If they waited and it turned out that Unicron had assisted the Decepticons, a battle on Earth would favor the Autobots more, as the humans would be able to help them. If the Autobots chose to meet the Decepticons in battle on Mars, outnumbered as they were, the chance was very high they would be wiped out, no matter how fiercely they fought. It was hard to accept, but it was still true. Yes, the situation had been similar in Chicago, but they had the help of their human allies there, and the fact that Megatron had turned against Sentinel had also tipped the battle in the Autobots' favor. But this was different.

As reluctant as he was to delay when he could end it now, or to willingly allow another battle on Earth, Optimus knew the choice he had to make.

"No, we will not," Optimus answered gravely. Before Prowl or any of the others could voice an argument against his decision, he continued. "We do not have the means to meet them evenly in battle on another planet. Not any longer. If there were more Autobots present on Earth at this time, it would be different. But there are not." He met the concerned glances of all those present. "If we fought on Mars, we would have to do so alone. Despite the technology you humans possess when it comes to space travel, you do not yet have the means of participating in combat on another planet."

"We know," Will said. "That's why we won't be able to help you with Unicron."

Optimus nodded, and continued. "This is slightly different. Against Unicron, it does not matter how many of us there are, as with the Matrix we have a way to defeat him. Against the Decepticons, however, our relatively low numbers would put as at a severe disadvantage, and if we fell, Unicron would meet no resistance in his goal of destroying Earth. We cannot allow that."

"Fighting on Earth once more is not ideal, but it's the best chance we have for finally ending this," Ratchet agreed. There was obvious reluctance in the medic's voice, but it was plain to see that he knew that Optimus's decision to not follow the Decepticons now was the only way they could meet them on more even terms later.

"And if you guys fight here, we'll be able to help you. All of us." Sam agreed, looking up at Bumblebee determinedly, before looking back at Optimus. "We've beaten the Decepticons before, and we'll do it again."

"So we wait, and keep watch for the Decepticons' return," Prowl said. The black-and-white mech's uneasiness about not acting immediately was easy to see, but it was also obvious that he was willing to go along with Optimus's decision, something the Prime appreciated. "We keep training, and when they return, we'll be ready."

"Yes," Optimus said with a nod. "The training sessions will continue, and we will carry out extra ones whenever possible. We will make use of the time we have to prepare. Once the Decepticons return, we will meet them head-on."

"Humans and Autobots," Will added.

"We'll be ready," Sam said, his expression still determined.

Bumblebee nodded in agreement at his friend's words, though the young Autobot still looked worried, and he was not the only one. It was the main emotion present in all those who were taking part in the meeting; Optimus could see that clearly.

The atmosphere in the hangar was still thick with tension and worry that the recent revelations had brought to light, but now that the beginnings of a plan to deal with it were being created, determination and faint hope had joined them as well. The decision that had been made was not easy, but the Autobots and humans supported it, knowing it gave them the best chance of defeating the Decepticons despite what they were planning to do.

Looking over those assembled, Autobot and human alike, Optimus felt proud and grateful to work alongside them, and to be able to call them his friends and allies.

"Our enemies have joined, but here, on Earth, we stand a chance of winning against the Decepticons," Optimus told those gathered. "We will face the Decepticons together. And then, we will see to it that Unicron is locked away once more. We will keep our shared home safe."

At the Prime's final statement, silence fell in the hangar once again as the meeting ended, the Autobots and humans dispersing to return to what they had been doing prior to the urgent meeting.

Remembering that Ratchet wanted to speak with him, Optimus turned to face Red Alert, Prowl, and Scattershot. "Scattershot, thank you for your contributions in the meeting. Your information was very important, and much appreciated. I will shortly let you know which Autobot will be helping you integrate into the Autobot ranks. I still have to discuss the matter with Ratchet. In the meantime, Red Alert will escort you back to your quarters. Prowl," He continued, turning to face the other mech as Red Alert headed off towards the Autobot quarters with Scattershot doing his best to stick close by. "Would you keep an optic on Trailbreaker while I speak with Ratchet?"

"Of course, Prime," Prowl agreed. He cast a concerned look at his leader. "Sir, this battle is going to be difficult, especially now that we know just what the Decepticons are doing."

"I know," Optimus said. "But we cannot give up, despite the difficulty."

Prowl nodded. "I know that, sir. We won't." He turned and headed towards the Sparkling play area.

Optimus watched him go, then made his way over to Ratchet. The Prime was still deeply troubled by the recent turn of events, but he couldn't let his own doubts get in the way of what he knew needed to be done. He had to lead the others in the fight they would soon find themselves in. The way they needed to meet coming battle with the Decepticons was not ideal, but it was the only way that they stood a chance of victory; it was the only way they would be able to live to try to ensure that Earth would be safe from the other menace that was steadily approaching.

He vented softly in weariness.

Yes, it would be difficult.

But it was the only chance they had.

* * *

><p>After asking Bumblebee and his family, along with Arcee, to keep watch on First Aid and Beachcomber while he spoke with Optimus and shooing all of them in the direction of the play area, Ratchet had met the Prime next to the hall that led to the medbay. The two Autobots headed down the hall towards the medbay, but instead of entering it, they went into a nearby empty room, where they could speak in private without having to use their comms to do so.<p>

"All right, Ratchet." The Prime's voice was concerned, as was the look on his faceplate. "What was it you wanted to tell me about Chromia?"

Ratchet was quiet for a moment. Primus, he still felt worried and concerned over Chromia's condition, even though he knew that he was doing everything he could. Finally, he shook his head and looked up at Optimus.

"Her Spark is very weak. It's deteriorated to the point where the Spark therapy won't be able to completely heal the damage that's been done. She's strong, especially to have lasted this long, and while she will regain some of her strength, unless I can find some solution I may have overlooked…Optimus, she isn't going to survive."

Optimus shuttered his optics briefly, then opened them and looked at Ratchet, sorrow and pain clearly visible in his expression. The medic understood why. Over the course of the war, the Autobots had become a close-knit family, and losing any member was devastating. For two years, they'd thought both Arcee and Chromia were offline, only to find they were alive. But now, Chromia was dying anyway, and there was nothing that could truly help.

"How long does she have?" The Prime asked quietly.

"With continued Spark therapy…I can give her a year, possibly a little longer. But…" Ratchet shook his head again, sorrowful frustration making its way into his voice. "If we had gotten to her sooner, I would have been able to help. I'm going to keep trying to find a way, but it's not likely there's anything I can do."

Optimus placed a hand on his shoulder, causing Ratchet to look back up at the Autobot leader. "Do not lose hope, Ratchet. There may be a way. If anyone can find it, I have faith that you can."

Ratchet nodded. "Chromia gave me permission to tell you, but she doesn't want anyone else to know yet. She was especially adamant about not telling Arcee and Bumblebee."

"I understand. I will not say anything to the others until Chromia wishes for them to know." He was quiet for a moment, then asked the other question Ratchet had been expecting. "Tell me about Scattershot."

Relieved at the change to the less-troubling topic, Ratchet straightened as Optimus removed his hand from his shoulder. "Well, he seems nervous as all-get out and has absolutely no self-confidence. Every time he's spoken to, he flinches like he expects to be hit. He also looks, as the human saying goes, like someone used him as a punching bag." A brief look of disgust flickered on the medic's faceplate. "Knowing the Decepticons, someone probably did."

"He grew up in the pits of Kaon, forced to fight other Younglings under the cruel guise of training," Optimus reminded him. "Megatron ordered the kidnapping of several Younglings when the Youth Sectors were attacked, and forced them into the Decepticon ranks."

Ratchet looked up sharply, optics narrowing as he felt a flash of anger at the remembrance of how Scattershot-and other Younglings that had been captured, it seemed-had been treated by the Decepticons. "That explains a lot." The anger faded from his expression and voice as he went on. "He does seem determined to help, and he's eager to please, when he's not jumping at anyone who speaks to him. And…well, the Sparklings seemed to think he was all right. At least, they did once Trailbreaker showed them Scattershot was okay."

A look of interest crossed the Prime's faceplates. "He did?"

"Yes, he did. The others kept their distance at first, but Trailbreaker walked right up to Scattershot, and decided he was fine after looking over him a bit. Went back to the other Sparklings and told them that he wasn't 'mean', as he put it. The others were just fine with Scattershot after that." The medic smiled, shaking his head. "Trailbreaker's a natural leader. No doubt he's picked it up from watching you."

Optimus smiled slightly. "I know. I came to the same conclusion myself, when he was trying to help Blaster feel better after his terrifying ordeal with the Decepticons. He is very perceptive, as well." His expression turned serious again. "Anything else about Scattershot?"

"I believe he can be trusted. I can tell he has a kind Spark and was never meant to be a Decepticon. I think he'll be a good Autobot, once he gets past his lack of self-confidence and nervousness. He's a hard worker, too; he's the one who helped me to get the medbay ready before you returned to base."

"I see." Optimus looked thoughtful. "I believe I will move forward to placing him in the care of an Autobot to help him fully integrate into our ranks. I already have an Autobot in mind for the task. It might not be easy as he only recently got over the brunt of his suspicion of Scattershot, but I believe it will work."

"Oh, really?" Ratchet asked with interest, following Optimus as the Prime moved to exit the room. "Who is it?"

* * *

><p>Red Alert paced back and forth agitatedly in front of the door that led to the room serving as Scattershot's quarters. He'd been doing so ever since he had escorted the other mech back here and watched the door close behind him as Scattershot went inside. Although he hadn't been told to guard Scattershot after bringing him back here, the red-armored mech had felt that he should. Not that Red Alert really thought that Scattershot would try anything-his weapons were still disabled and besides, he'd admitted himself that his aim was terrible, and he was far too timid to actually try to fight-but he <em>was<em> still a Decepticon. _**Former **__Decepticon, glitch-head, _Red Alert reminded himself firmly. _He's on our side now, just like Firestorm, and you're not suspicious of __**him**__._ _Well, not as much as you used to be, anyway._

_But he still __**had **__been a Decepticon, _a part of his processor reminded him. _And Firestorm came to us willingly. He wasn't captured. Scattershot __**was**__ caught, and it couldn't have been more obvious at the time that it hadn't been a willing capture._

_Stop being so suspicious_, he reprimanded himself crossly, even though he knew that telling himself to do something like that was like telling a ground-based Autobot to fly-well, besides Optimus Prime, of course. He'd always been paranoid and prone to panic attacks, even back when he was a Youngling. It wasn't something he could help, let alone change, about himself. Trying to do so was just fighting a losing battle, anyway.

_But still…_ Red Alert paused in his pacing and glanced at the door. _He doesn't act like a Decepticon…I can see that. I should at least __**try **__to be less suspicious of him, even if I can't help it._

To be honest, after hearing Scattershot's story, Red Alert had discovered he felt sorry for the former Decepticon, and that he now believed that the younger mech had a legitimate reason for wanting to leave the Decepticons. Now a part of him wanted to give Scattershot a chance, but the part of him that was always in a panic screamed for him not to trust the other mech…or at least, keep him under guard until an Autobot had been assigned to watch over him. While it was true that the panicky part of his processor was helpful in certain situations, it was not helping _this_ one in any way. It was stupid; he knew that both Optimus and Prowl trusted Scattershot, which meant that keeping a guard over the former Decepticon was not necessary. If the Autobot leader and the Second-in-Command-his closest friend-thought Scattershot was trustworthy, it should be enough for him.

Then again, he was still on edge from the meeting, and that seemed to be making his normal anxiety worse. Perhaps that was why he felt he needed to stand guard; so he was at least occupied with something and not able to dwell fully on what the Decepticons were up to on Mars.

_Ugh, now __**that**__ is a mess,_ Red Alert thought with a grimace, resuming his pacing. _Why does no one ever take me seriously when I say something bad is going to happen? Okay, sure, I didn't think it would be something like this, but still…_

The sound of approaching footsteps broke through Red Alert's anxious thoughts, and he stopped pacing once more and looked up, seeing Optimus Prime walking down the hall towards him. Doing his best to look like he wasn't on edge-and not being very successful, he knew-he straightened to attention as Optimus came to a stop in front of him.

"Red Alert," Optimus said by way of greeting. "Have you been standing here ever since you escorted Scattershot back to his quarters?"

"Yes, sir," Red Alert admitted, shifting from foot to foot slightly in nervous embarrassment. Optimus's words might not express any disapproval in his staying to guard Scattershot without being told it was needed, but Red Alert could still tell that the Prime didn't approve of his continued suspicion of Scattershot. "I'll leave, sir, if you want me to. I just thought that-"

"No, it is alright," Optimus replied, motioning for the red-armored Security Officer to follow him. "It would be best for you to be present while I talk to Scattershot. What I have to say concerns the both of you." He opened the door and entered, a confused and still somewhat embarrassed Red Alert following.

Scattershot had been sitting on his berth, but the former Deception jumped nervously to his feet when he saw Optimus and Red Alert enter. "Optimus, sir, I…"

Optimus held out a hand, motioning for Scattershot to calm down. "Easy, Scattershot. You have done nothing wrong. I have spoken with Ratchet, and, going by what he has told me, I believe that you are ready to properly join the Autobot ranks."

Scattershot straightened at the Prime's words, but Red Alert caught the other mech's nervous, confused glance in his direction as he obviously wondered why the Security Officer was there. Red Alert didn't blame him; he felt confused as well over why Optimus had wanted him to be present while he spoke to Scattershot. What did Scattershot being ready to properly join the Autobots have to do with _him_?

"As I told you earlier, you will be assigned to another Autobot, one who will be able to help you integrate into our forces." Optimus turned to look at Red Alert. "Red Alert, I have decided that you are the Autobot best suited for this task."

Red Alert couldn't help it; he stared at Optimus in surprise, a startled _"What?"_ coming from his vocal processor before he could stop himself. He saw Scattershot flinch slightly at his tone, and a flash of guilt filled him. But that didn't change the truth. Red Alert knew that he was _not_ the best Autobot for the job; his constant anxiety and paranoia, coupled with his frequent panic attacks, would make it very hard for him to help Scattershot. Pit, he still felt that the former Decepticon needed a guard! Even though he knew his attitude towards Scattershot wasn't right, he couldn't help it; that was more than enough reason for him not to be the one who helped Scattershot become a true Autobot. Surely Optimus wasn't serious!

The look the Autobot leader gave him at his unintended outburst, however, was more than enough to let Red Alert know that he was indeed serious about it. "I am assigning you to be Scattershot's supervisor and mentor, Red Alert."

"But, sir, I can't…I mean," He glanced apologetically at Scattershot before turning back to face Optimus. "Sir, you know I have trouble with controlling my anxiety, and how I have panic attacks all the time. It's nothing against…it's nothing personal. I can't _help_ it. You know that makes me not the best choice for this. Surely…there must be someone else?"

"Red Alert," Optimus said, a slight reprimand in his voice. "I do know how difficult you find controlling your anxiety. But, despite this, do you believe that Scattershot deserves a chance? Look past your anxiety. What do you really believe?"

Red Alert shifted uneasily. Yes, underneath all of the suspicion, anxiety, and everything else he always battled with inside his processor and Spark, he knew that Scattershot truly deserved a chance to start a new life as an Autobot, and that same part of him wanted to trust him, especially after hearing his story. The panicky part of his processor still protested it, but he knew that part was just being stubborn, refusing to see what was actually true. Just like it always was, when it wasn't being helpful.

With a flash of insight, he realized why Optimus wanted him to be the one to do this. Because, despite his paranoia, he _knew_ Scattershot deserved a chance, and that meant he would have to work hard to get around his anxiety in order to guide Scattershot. Likewise, Scattershot would have to work hard to truly earn his trust. This way, they would learn to trust each other instead of Scattershot being paired with someone he wouldn't have to work as hard to earn the trust of. Red Alert knew that his constant anxiety made him the Autobot whose trust was hardest to earn. But when someone else earned it, it meant that they _were_ trustworthy. No doubts about it.

By working hard to earn his trust, Scattershot would be able to truly prove that he was sincere in his desire to no longer be a Decepticon.

It might be difficult, but it was the best choice in the long run.

He glanced back at Scattershot. The orange-armored mech's expression was still nervous and hesitant, but Red Alert could see a very faint trace of hope. Scattershot wanted to be an Autobot. He wanted Red Alert's help in getting there.

No, he _needed _Red Alert's help to become an Autobot.

Red Alert knew it would be wrong and unfair to refuse that help. He vented softly, shoving aside his paranoia as best as he could before he straightened and looked back at Optimus. With a slight nod, he finally responded to the Prime's question.

"Yes, sir, I do believe he deserves a chance." He looked back at Scattershot apologetically. "I apologize, Scattershot. I won't be an easy mech to get along with, but I'll try my best to help you."

The nervousness faded slightly from Scattershot's expression. "I'm already a little used to your…um, panic attacks, as Prowl calls them…um, if it helps, sir."

Red Alert blinked in surprise at Scattershot's words, but then he smiled slightly at Scattershot's nervous, hesitant attempt at reassuring him that it wouldn't be too hard to help him become an Autobot. "Well, yes, Scattershot, I suppose that does help." To his surprise, the brunt of his anxiety concerning this assignment had faded. He looked back at Optimus and saw the Prime nodding in approval. Seeing that, he felt slightly more confident about his new task.

Maybe helping Scattershot and learning to trust him wouldn't be so difficult, after all.

* * *

><p>Although she had tried to get some more recharge after Ratchet had left her alone in the medbay, Chromia had quickly found that doing so was not an option for her at the moment. Without Ratchet to talk to and the sounds of playing Sparklings to distract her, there was nothing to prevent her from dwelling on what the medic had told her about her condition, as well as knowing that a meeting was being held to discuss what had happened with the Decepticons, and that was more than enough to prevent any more recharge, at least right now, anyway. Besides, now that she'd recovered a little of her strength, she could concentrate better on what was happening around her, and she found herself troubled by what was going on, even more than she was about the condition of her Spark. She had a feeling that the Autobots were dealing with something more than a simple Decepticon encounter, but if that was true, no one had told her yet.<p>

Chromia knew that if she asked, the others would tell her, but even though she felt better than she had when Prowl had helped her into the medbay earlier that day, she still felt tired and weak, so she hadn't asked, and the others hadn't told her on their own. No doubt the others hadn't told her what was going on when they'd returned to the base because they wanted her to have time to recover, rather than be troubled by recent events, and she hadn't asked because she hadn't really been feeling up to doing much more than recharging at the time.

Now that her condition had somewhat improved, however, she wished she _had_ asked what was going on before Ratchet had left to attend the meeting. And while Chromia knew that Ratchet was right and she was still in no condition to be up and about yet, let alone attend a meeting, being left in the dark about current events was not something she was used to or particularly enjoyed.

Chromia vented softly and shuttered her optics, deciding to attempt once more to recharge. She had to rest in order to recover more of her strength, so that she would be able to help the other Autobots with whatever it was they were currently facing. She wasn't going to let her weakened condition stand in the way of what the Autobots needed to do. She'd be there helping them, weak Spark or not.

The sound of the medbay door opening brought her out of her thoughts, and Chromia unshuttered her optics, turning her head to see Ratchet entering the room alone, with no Beachcomber or First Aid in sight. That was odd. Where were the Sparklings? It was getting late; wouldn't it be time for their nightly recharge soon?

"Still awake, I see. How do you feel? Did you get any more recharge?" The medic asked when he saw that Chromia wasn't in recharge like he had initially thought she might be when he had entered the medbay.

"I feel better, but I'm still tired. I tried to recharge, but…" She hesitated, shaking her head. "I had too much to think about after you left."

"I understand. That was a lot to take in, and I'm sorry." Ratchet nodded slightly, his voice sympathetic and his optics concerned. "I told Optimus about everything after the meeting. He agreed not to tell any of the others until you are ready for them to know."

"Thank you," Chromia said softly in gratitude.

Ratchet gave her a small, kind smile as he turned his attention to the Spark monitor that she was still hooked up to.

"No Sparklings tonight, Ratchet?" Chromia asked, shifting herself into a sitting position on her berth with a bit of effort, watching as Ratchet began to study the readouts on the monitor.

"I'll bring them back here in a little while. There's a play area set up for the Sparklings in the main hangar. I left Beachcomber and First Aid there with the other Sparklings for a moment. Arcee, Bumblebee, and the Witwickys are keeping watch over them right now." Ratchet looked back over at her. "Besides, I know you want me to tell you want happened at the meeting, and I'd rather the Sparklings not be here to be troubled by what I'll tell you. They might be too young to understand what's going on, but they _will _be able to tell it's bothering us. That will make them upset and I don't want that."

"Neither do I," Chromia agreed. She was quiet for a moment, then looked up at the medic. "Ratchet, what's going on? What were the Decepticons doing?"

"They were trying to get Megatron's remains away from where Optimus had them hidden after the battle in Chicago-he told you about that, yes?" At Chromia's nod, the medic continued. "Cyclonus is apparently leading the Decepticons now, and he's planning something big. Last month, the Decepticons attacked our base, keeping our attention focused on a battle outside while two of them slipped inside. They hacked the Autobot Network, stole the information regarding where Megatron's remains were hidden, and damaged Teletraan-I, first with a virus and then by slashing through the main terminal. Computron led the efforts to fix the damage, and that allowed us to find out what the Decepticons were up to."

"But the Decepticons had already gotten to the remains and taken them away when the others arrived," Chromia said in realization. "That's why Cyclonus seemed so smug when Firestorm and Silverbolt brought Arcee and I back. The Decepticons had technically already won that fight."

Ratchet nodded, stepping back from the Spark monitor, folding his arms as he did so. "Yes, going by what Optimus told us, that's exactly what happened. Not only that, but Prowl discovered earlier that the Decepticons have left Earth, and we now know that they have access to a Space Bridge on Mars."

"Arcee told me about that a few years ago," Chromia said. "So they have Megatron's remains, they've left Earth, and have access to a Space Bridge. I know there's only one reason they'd try to get a hold of Megatron…they're going to try and revive him again, aren't they? And they need the Space Bridge to get to what will do that."

"Yes, but there's more to it than that. They…" Ratchet hesitated, frowning slightly. After a moment, he shook his head and looked evenly back at Chromia. "Chromia, listen. I know this is going to be hard to believe. Primus, even some of us who heard of it in the beginning still have a hard time with it, but we know we have to take it seriously. Optimus believes it's true, and if he says it, then we…" He shook his head again, then continued. "The Decepticons are going to use the Space Bridge to travel to where Unicron currently is, and try to get him to restore Megatron."

"Unicron?" Chromia asked. She could see that Ratchet was serious, and while such a thing was hard to believe, it was also plain to see that the medic believed it was true. He had even said that Optimus believed it, as well. If the Prime believed it was true, then it must be. "How did…how do you know? What makes you so sure?"

"We first learned that Unicron is on his way to Earth from Firestorm," Ratchet replied. "Firestorm pushed himself to the point of nearly offlining from Energon deprivation to arrive here in time to warn us so that we would be able to prepare to face Unicron. He is coming here to attempt to destroy the Matrix of Leadership, and he probably plans to devour Earth while he's at it. But it wasn't until the meeting today that we were able to piece together that the Decepticons are seeking his help. Firestorm knows the most about this, about Unicron's powers, so I suggest you ask him. He can explain it better than I can."

Chromia nodded. "I will. But what are we going to do about this?"

"Prowl is monitoring the skies for the Decepticons' return, and Optimus is seeing to it that extra training sessions are being carried out, both for Autobots and humans. When the time comes, we'll be ready for both the Decepticons and Unicron. We're working to prepare as much as we possibly can. But as for what you are going to do…" Ratchet's voice took on the stern tone he used whenever he was concerned over a patient's wellbeing, although Chromia could still detect the worry in his voice. "I want _you_ to rest now. You can talk to Arcee about what was discussed at the meeting if you want to, but I want you to wait until tomorrow morning to do so. The same goes for asking Firestorm any questions you might have for him."

"All right, Ratchet," Chromia replied agreeably, slightly amused at Ratchet's way of ordering her to rest. "When will I be able to get up, though?"

"In a day or two," Ratchet told her as he moved towards his desk and began to pull things she couldn't see out of the cabinets above it. He paused for a moment, then continued. "You'll be released to light duty first, and move on from there, depending on how much your condition improves. If I…if I'm able to find a solution, you might be able to be released to full duty, but, for now, we'll just wait and see."

"It's all right, Ratchet," Chromia told the medic. "That's fine with me."

Ratchet gave a tiny, barely noticeable nod of his head, then resumed working on whatever it was he had pulled out of the cabinets above his desk.

Relative silence fell in the medbay, broken only by the sounds of Ratchet working at his desk. Chromia took the time to lie back down and think over what the medic had told her.

Unicron was coming. Not only that, Cyclonus was leading the Decepticons, and their goal was to revive Megatron. They were going to attempt to coerce Unicron into doing that for them. It seemed that a battle far larger than any the Autobots…and their human allies…had ever faced was coming. In light of this, her current condition, her weakened Spark, wasn't important. No, helping her friends and family protect this planet and each other was far more important than any medical problem she had.

Weak Spark or not, she _would_ get back to fighting strength. Ratchet might argue, but she knew that her fighting ability would be needed, and needed soon. Her skills were needed on the battlefield, not watching on the sidelines while the others did the fighting. They would need every fighter they had for this battle. Chromia wasn't going to let them down.

The silence stretched for nearly twenty minutes before the sound of the medbay door opening once again disrupted it, drawing both Chromia and Ratchet's attention towards the door as Arcee entered the room, followed by Bumblebee. The two of them weren't alone, however; Arcee was holding Beachcomber's hand, a look of faint amusement on her faceplates, as she was being pulled into the medbay towards Ratchet by the Sparkling, who seemed eager to show the medic his new friend, and Bumblebee was carrying First Aid and another, far younger and smaller Sparkling, with red and gray armor, that Chromia realized must be Blaster. First Aid was chattering happily away in a mixture of clicks and babyish English to Blaster, occasionally looking up to tell Bumblebee something as well, his talkative manner a sharp contrast to how shy he had been when he had first met Chromia.

_Ratchet __**did**__ say that he was shy around everyone except himself, the other Sparklings, Red Alert, and Bumblebee,_ Chromia reminded herself, turning her attention to Blaster. She felt a brief flash of the same concern she had felt earlier, when she had first learned that Bumblebee was a Sparkling caretaker, but quickly pushed it aside. Ratchet had told her to observe Blaster and Bumblebee together before she came to any conclusions, and she had promised that she would. She glanced back at the medic to see him kneeling slightly so to be more at Beachcomber's level as the Sparkling happily spoke to him, then turned back to consider Bumblebee and his little Sparkling charge.

Why not start now?

With that thought in mind, the blue-armored femme looked over the little Sparkling thoughtfully. He was very small, but his optics were bright and he looked happy and healthy. He was listening to First Aid's chatter attentively, occasionally adding a word or series of clicks himself, seemingly perfectly fine, but the fact that he was holding tightly onto Bumblebee's armor was not lost to Chromia. She knew that was a sign of separation anxiety, and the concern she had felt earlier returned, though this time it was focused on what had happened to make the Sparkling so desperate to stay with Bumblebee; she'd have to ask about that later.

As for Bumblebee, he was holding Blaster gently, yet protectively, and relatively close to his Spark, a method that soothed distressed Sparklings and helped them feel safe. It showed that, not only did Bumblebee know that Blaster was suffering from separation anxiety, he was doing whatever he could to help Blaster get over it, to help the little Sparkling feel safe and secure.

Despite the concerns she still had over whether or not it was the right choice for the Youngling to have the role of caretaker to the Sparkling, seeing Bumblebee holding Blaster like that made her smile slightly in pride. Bumblebee obviously took raising Blaster very seriously and it was easy to see how close the two of them were. She wasn't completely sure about things yet, but at least she could see that it wasn't a responsibility that Bumblebee took lightly.

The young Autobot noticed Chromia looking in his direction, and, with a glance down at the Sparklings he held, moved closer to the berth she was resting on. First Aid caught sight of Chromia and his chatter faded as he shyly leaned back against Bumblebee, but Blaster looked right at her, his optics wide with curiosity.

_Hi, Chromia,_ Bumblebee greeted, his faceplates formed in as close to a cheerful smile as he could get. _Are you feeling better?_

Chromia wasn't blind to the faint worry present in the young Autobot's optics or the way he was tense with that same worry, despite his attempt at appearing completely cheerful, and pushed herself back into a sitting position. While she appreciated Bumblebee's concern, she honestly didn't want the Youngling to be constantly worrying about her. That was the reason she had asked Ratchet to keep the details of her condition between him, herself, and Optimus for the time being. Bumblebee didn't need to be troubled by that right now. Neither did Arcee.

"I'm feeling a lot better, Bumblebee," She replied, offering the young Autobot a small smile. "A little tired, still, but better."

A look of relief flashed in Bumblebee's optics, and he visibly relaxed. _Good._

For a brief moment, Chromia felt a small feeling of guilt for not telling Bumblebee the truth about her health, but she brushed it aside. It was for the best right now. She refocused her attention on the smaller of the two Sparklings Bumblebee held. Even though she already knew Blaster's name, she settled for simply asking, "Now, I've already met First Aid, but who is the other little one you're holding, Bumblebee?"

_His name is Blaster,_ Bumblebee said. There was no mistaking the pride and affection in his optics as he looked down at the little Sparkling. _He's the smallest and youngest of the Sparklings, and he's my responsibility._

From his position in Bumblebee's arms, Blaster let out an inquisitive squeak as he looked over Chromia, twisting around slightly in his caretaker's hold so he could see her better. She couldn't help smiling at that. "Well, hello to you, too, Blaster. I'm Chromia."

Blaster tilted his head to one side. "Mia?" He questioned.

"Yes, that's right." Chromia's smile grew at Blaster's nickname for her. It was the exact same name Bumblebee had called her by, back when _he_ was too young to properly pronounce her name. Judging by the amusement she could see in Bumblebee's optics, the young scout had realized that, too.

"Sorry to interrupt the introductions," Ratchet spoke up from where he was still standing next to his desk with Arcee and Beachcomber. Seeing that he had successfully gained their attention, he walked towards them, two Energon bottles in hand. "But it's time for First Aid and Beachcomber to have their nightly Energon and go to recharge. Bumblebee, would you like to feed Blaster here?"

_Sure,_ Bumblebee agreed, handing First Aid to Ratchet as the medic came to a stop near Chromia's berth and taking Energon bottle he was offered. _He usually falls into recharge on the way home, so this way I won't have to wake him up to fed him once we get back to the house._

As Ratchet took First Aid back to his desk, Chromia watched as Bumblebee gave Blaster the Energon bottle. The Sparkling held it on his own as he drank eagerly from it, but Bumblebee remained closely watchful, making sure that Blaster didn't drink too fast, or spill the Energon, or drop the bottle. His careful attentiveness was proof enough that he _could_ handle the responsibility of raising a Sparkling. That he _had_ handled it, and would continue to do so.

Chromia couldn't help smiling again. Ratchet had been right-five minutes watching Bumblebee and Blaster, and she could see that the right decision had been made.

She still wanted to take more time to observe the two of them together, but now, she was able to admit to herself that she had been wrong.

* * *

><p>The Space Bridge, as it had turned out, had been relatively easy to repair and modify, despite how broken-down the structure had been when the Decepticons had first arrived on Mars. Salvo's rough estimate of the work being complete in three weeks had more or less been accurate. The repairs had been finished in two weeks, the modifications had taken another four days, leaving the remaining three days open for testing, in order to make sure the Space Bridge truly was back in working order, and the transporting range had successfully been increased.<p>

"How many more tests are needed?" Cyclonus asked, watching as Salvo barked out orders to the Decepticons who were working on inputting the latest calibrations and test coordinates into the Bridge controls. The Decepticon leader knew that repairing the Space Bridge in the first place had been one of the steps in the plan that would take the longest, but the structure needed to be fully confirmed to be in working order soon.

Fortunately, they had not encountered any roadblocks from their enemies in their efforts to restore the Space Bridge. The Autobots and their human allies had been left in complete disarray after their last encounter, and had not made any move to follow them-pointing to them either not knowing where the Decepticons had gone, or knowing and deciding that facing them there would be a poor decision on their part-but the luck of that would mean nothing if the Space Bridge did not work. Unicron would soon be at the only coordinates Cyclonus had been able to confirm were in the Destroyer's path on his journey to Earth, and it all depended on the Decepticons being there, waiting for him to arrive. While it was true he could no doubt find another set of coordinates, that would take time, and, going by the fact that some of the other Decepticons, led by Bullseye, of course, were beginning to complain again, that was not something they could afford. They needed to work with the first set of coordinates.

Time was of the essence here, if the plan were to ultimately succeed.

"This should be the last one," Salvo replied. The black-armored mech gestured towards the Space Bridge and the Decepticons working on it. "The other tests were successful, so, if this one is as well, it will confirm that everything is complete. This test will be to see if transport range has successfully been increased, so it's the most important test."

Cyclonus nodded curtly. "Well, then, proceed."

"Commence the test," Salvo ordered, turning to Skyjack, who was operating the controls of the Bridge now that the others had finished inputting the commands.

Cyclonus was aware of the other Decepticons watching the Space Bridge anxiously, occasionally glancing at him. While they didn't know exactly why the Space Bridge was needed, they _did_ know what would happen if the Space Bridge failed to work, and were desperate for the final test to be a success so that they would all be able to escape punishment. He smirked inwardly. Little did they know that two of them would be punished in the most severe way possible, even if the Space Bridge worked.

"Activating the Space Bridge," Skyjack confirmed, his fingers rapidly moving on the controls. "Power on…now."

The Space Bridge snapped online with a faint hum, which grew in volume and intensity as the power continued to build. With a loud buzz, a disc of green energy, interspersed with sparks of white and light blue, formed in the center of the main structure, growing in size until the edges of the disc met the edges of the archway of the Bridge. Once that happened, Skyjack turned and gestured a small group of Decepticons that were standing nearby forward. They moved quickly, pushing a probe that had been specially designed to emit a signal once through the Bridge that would alert those on the other side how far it had gone.

Skyjack made another adjustment of the controls. "Commencing transport," He announced as the small group of Decepticons shoved the probe through the Space Bridge portal. There was a brief flash of white light as the probe hit the energy and vanished into it. After a few brief moments-just long enough to allow the probe to properly get through the energy field of the Space Bridge-Skyjack deactivated it, and the disc of energy in the center of the structure abruptly disappeared.

Silence fell over the gathering of Decepticons. After the silence had stretched for a few minutes, Cyclonus broke it, addressing Skyjack with barely concealed impatience.

"Well? Did the test work?"

The dark-gray armored the Decepticon bent over the console, his expression one of extreme concentration as he read over the results of the test. Finally, he looked up at Cyclonus and nodded. "The probe successfully made it through and is transmitting a clear signal. The transport range of the Space Bridge is successfully increased. It is ready to be used."

"Perfect." Cyclonus turned to the others, a look of triumph on his faceplate. At last, the plan could finally be completed. "Prepare Lord Megatron's remains. We are going through the Space Bridge."

"Hold it!"

Cyclonus's optics narrowed at the interruption, the purple-armored mech watching as the speaker, Bullseye, roughly shouldered his way through the gathered Decepticons. Bullseye came to a stop in front of the others, his armor flared defiantly as he glared up at Cyclonus.

"Don't move," Bullseye growled to the others, before turning his full focus on the Decepticon leader. "You've done nothing but order us around since you and Scourge got here, Cyclonus. Yes, you have this oh-so-important plan that you never shut the frag up about, and we've done what you say will carry it out. But has it really helped us? Sure, the Autobots know we're still out here, still a threat. But what have we done, besides dig out the scrap that used to be Megatron? Have we changed anything?" He raised his voice. "I'll tell you-_nothing_ has changed! We're still hiding out, we still don't have decent Energon rations, and yet you still have the slagging gall to order us to run around, carrying out the orders for a plan you won't even tell us about! You won't even let us properly fight the Autobots when we run into them, which is what we _should_ be doing!"

Near the front of the gathered Decepticons, Hardwire, a mech who had been injured during the battle in Kentucky gave a small nod and muttered to one of the others next to him. "Bullseye's got a point. Not to mention that Cyclonus was perfectly happy to let us all take the brunt of the Autobots' attack back when we were at the cave."

Although Hardwire had been talking in an undertone so Cyclonus would not hear him, the Decepticon leader had. His optics flickered dangerously, but before he could confront the miscreants, Bullseye spoke up again.

"So _I _say we don't do anything else he tells us until we know exactly what he's planning," Bullseye sneered, looking at the others for support. Seeing that none of them had moved to carry out Cyclonus's orders, and that they were all waiting to see what happened instead, he turned back to Cyclonus with a look of smugness. "So, then, _mighty leader_, are you going to let us in on what's so important about this stupid fragging plan of yours?"

Issuing silent commands to both Scourge and Salvo, Cyclonus stared contemptuously down at Bullseye as the other two mechs disappeared back into the crowd. No one noticed this, however, as all optics were on the confrontation between Bullseye and the Decepticon leader. "So, Bullseye, you think I have been an unfair leader? Well, let me tell you something, despite the fact you may not be able to comprehend it with your primitive processor."

He paused for a moment, then continued, his voice turned cold with anger. "Every leader has certain things he does not tell his troops. This is to prevent secret plans from failing. The less the common soldiers know about them, the less chance they have of messing them up-especially if they are foolish enough to get captured by the enemy. Lord Megatron kept secrets of his own. Why should I not do the same, if it means victory for the Decepticons in the end?"

"Yes, keeping secrets turned out _wonderfully_ for Megatron," Bullseye said scathingly. "You should thank him for teaching you that method of leadership. Oh, wait, you _can't_, because he's offline, thanks to his own stupid mistakes in that last battle."

A shocked silence followed Bullseye's remark, the optics of all Decepticons present turning to Cyclonus. The purple-armored mech's complete loyalty to Megatron was well-known, and no one had ever been foolish enough to insult the former Decepticon leader to Cyclonus's face.

Until now.

"Perhaps you'd like to lead the Decepticons, then, Bullseye?" Salvo's voice spoke up from right beside the red-armored mech, who jerked in surprise and whirled around to face the Decepticon Second-in-Command. "Do you think you wouldn't make any mistakes? You always act like you're superior to everyone else. Let's see you prove it."

Before Bullseye could reply, Salvo had shoved him forward, towards Cyclonus, who was striding forward to meet the other Decepticon, cold fury written all over his face plates, his narrowed optics glittering dangerously.

"Well?" Cyclonus gave Bullseye a cold, detached glare. He was pleased to see a faint glimmer of fear in Bullseye's normally arrogant optics; the red-armored mech had clearly not though this through when he had spoken out and had no desire to actually fight him. He'd known that things would come to a head with Bullseye eventually, and now was as good a time as any to bring a stop to the troublemaker once and for all. "Are you going to back up your overworking vocal processors, or are you going to prove that you're nothing more than a coward who doesn't process before he speaks?"

Bullseye tried to meet Cyclonus's optics but failed, looking to the side. "Frag it, why would I want to lead this pathetic group? None of you want to be real Decepticons anymore; you're all too busy running around carrying out some stupid plan you know nothing about while the Autobots go unpunished for what they've done. I'm off to Earth to do what we should be doing-destroying the Autobots. Anyone who wants to come with me can, I don't care. I'm not hanging around this rock to help carry out this slagging plan of your anymore, Cyclonus."

Cyclonus shrugged and turned away, as if bored. "So, you don't want any part of the plan. Well, I am sorry, but, you see, Bullseye…"

Before Bullseye even had time to react, Salvo pushed him forward again from behind just as the Decepticon leader had whirled back around, stabbing him straight through the Spark chamber with his Energon blade. The red-armored Decepticon looked up at Cyclonus in shock.

"I'm afraid you already have a vital role to play in the plan that must be fulfilled," Cyclonus said calmly. He pulled the stricken Bullseye slightly closer. "You have been nothing but trouble since this began, Bullseye, but it turns out you'll be extremely helpful from now on. Of course, you won't be alive to see just how helpful you'll be."

Bullseye made a choking noise, and Cyclonus pulled his Energon blade free from the other Decepticon, turning away as he crumpled to the ground. He did not miss the look of satisfaction on Salvo's faceplate as the Second-in-Command watched the life drain out of the mech who had been nothing but a thorn in his side his entire career as a Decepticon. It was obvious that Salvo could care less that he hadn't been the one to kill Bullseye, and was satisfied to see him offlined regardless of who had been the one to actually do it.

"Take this worthless pile of scrap over to where Lord Megatron's remains are and let him die there," Cyclonus ordered dismissively, as if he had done nothing more than stepped on a human insect. As two Decepticons hurried forward to carry out his orders-no one wanted to hesitate to obey him now that he had publicly killed Bullseye for doing just that-a sharp cry came from the remaining crowd as Scourge roughly drug Hardwire, the Decepticon who had agreed with Bullseye, forward, savagely flinging him to the ground in front of Cyclonus.

"Here's the other troublemaker," Scourge growled.

Cyclonus looked down at the cringing Decepticon. "So, you agree with Bullseye about how I am a poor leader?"

Hardwire shook his head frantically, absolutely terrified after seeing what had happened to the mech he had dared to agree with. "No, that's not true! I don't! I didn't mean it, Cyclonus, what I said, I swear-"

Cyclonus turned away, giving a short, sharp nod to Scourge as he did so.

A pain-filled scream sounded behind him, but it was quickly silenced.

"Take it to the other one," He ordered Scourge without turning around. "As for the rest of you, prepare Lord Megatron's remains. No more interruptions-we are going through the Space Bridge!"

* * *

><p>He had been traveling for a long time, but he could sense it would not be much longer before he arrived at his destination. The taint of Primus was stronger now, leading him in the right direction, towards the one thing that could stop him from ushering in a new age of chaos and destruction.<p>

The Matrix of Leadership…and, of course, the Prime who wielded it.

Despite the fact that the Matrix had been created after he had been sealed in planet form, he was still aware of its existence. He and Primus, as different as they were, had been brothers at one time. They shared a link that allowed them to sense vaguely what the other was doing, or what was happening to them. Even sealed away in planet form, the link had allowed him to sense Primus pooling most of his remaining energy into a vessel that carried the same essence as Primus himself, the essence that could trap him once again.

Thanks to that same link, the destruction of Primus's physical form had jarred him from the stasis he had been trapped in since that long-ago battle with Primus and his Primes, but his long imprisonment had left him drained. His power was still immense, of course, and would increase once he found a more powerful energy source; the last few planets he had devoured had not been enough to satisfy his need for more energy.

However, more energy would not be enough. He would still be trapped in Alternate mode until he destroyed the last seal on his power. To do that, he needed to eradicate the lineage of Primus from existence, and destroy the Matrix of Leadership. He would also have to destroy all those foolish enough to side with the Primes. Once that was done, he would be free, and the universe would finally be a place of chaos and destruction, just as it should be.

They would all suffer for sealing him away. He would take great pleasure in toying with them until they were so thoroughly broken they would beg for death.

He was so close now, so very close.

It was time to bring order and creation to an end.

Unicron would make everything into chaos, and it would be glorious.

* * *

><p>Cyclonus had chosen only a handful of Decepticons to accompany him to the region of space where Unicron was-Salvo, Scourge, and a few nameless others carrying the offline shells of Bullseye and Hardwire. The rest had stayed behind to man the Space Bridge; they would need to be able to return, after all. The purple-armored mech had taking charge of Lord Megatron's remains himself. He wouldn't dare to trust the others with something this vital to the Decepticon cause, not even the loyal Scourge and Salvo.<p>

The small group of Decepticons emerged from the Space Bridge portal into a seemingly empty region of space. No planets were in sight, but there was a bluish-white star, surrounded by debris that Cyclonus initially dismissed as asteroids drawn in by the star's gravity. Before he could issue out commands to the others, something that appeared to be a large, grayish planet surrounded by an odd orange ring came into view from behind the star. Cyclonus, however, instantly realized the truth. That wasn't a planet.

It was Unicron, and he was moving closer, away from the star.

_That's Unicron!_ One of the other Decepticons sent through a public comm in a disbelieving panic. _I don't believe it…he's real, he's really real! We can't be here, he'll kill us! We should leave!_

_Silence,_ Cyclonus snapped as Unicron continued to head in their direction. _No one is going anywhere. This is all part of the plan._

Now that the Decepticon leader could see the form of the Destroyer more clearly, the metal plating that made up the outer armor of his alt mode could be seen, and the sharp metal spikes set into the ring that surrounded him were now clearly visible…as was the gaping, jagged-edged hole inset with more spikes that was easily recognizable as his mouth. With a sudden flash of insight, Cyclonus realized that the nearby star wasn't surrounded by asteroids, it was surrounded by pieces of what had once been a planet…or, more likely, _planets_. Unicron's last meal.

A sudden, cold feeling of pure evil and darkness swept through Cyclonus, and he could tell by the way the other Decepticons shuddered that they had felt it too.

_He knows we're here,_ Cyclonus realized.

**WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY DO YOU DARE APPROACH ME?**

Unicron's voice reverberated in their minds, the cold tone of the voice seeming to freeze their systems so they could hardly think, let alone speak. Cyclonus felt a sudden wave of trepidation, all-too aware of what Unicron could do to them if he felt like doing so, words failing him for a moment.

**SPEAK NOW, BEFORE I LOSE MY PATIENCE AND DEVOUR ALL OF YOU AS I HAVE DEVOURED THE PLANETS IN THIS SYSTEM. I COULD MAKE AMPLE USE OF THE ENERGY I WOULD GAIN FROM CONSUMING YOUR BODIES.**

Cyclonus bowed his head, gesturing for the other Decepticons to do the same. Knowing that Unicron's immense power would allow him to hear it, he initiated a comm with the Destroyer. _Mighty Unicron, my name is Cyclonus. We are Decepticons, hailing from the planet Cybertron. We have come to humbly ask you for help._

**CYBERTRON?** Unicron's words took on a harder, more coldly furious tone. **INSIGNIFICANT WORMS!** **YOU COME FROM CYBERTRON, AND YOU DARE TO ASK ME FOR HELP? I SHOULD DESTROY ALL OF YOU RIGHT NOW.**

Doing his best to seem completely humble, Cyclonus lowered his head even further. _Please, mighty Unicron. Cybertron was rendered inhabitable long ago and has since been destroyed. Primus is no more. We approach you for your help because our goals are the same._

**SO YOU SAY. DO YOU SIDE WITH THE PRIMES?**

_The last living Prime, Optimus Prime, is our sworn enemy. The enemy of all Decepticons. He and his followers-the Autobots-are the ones that you seek to destroy. We want the same thing._

**ARE YOU PROPOSING AN ALLIANCE?** Unicron questioned incredulously. **WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT COULD POSSIBLY BE OF USE TO ME?**

_We have brought you two of our own for you to take the energy from._ Cyclonus gestured towards the three Decepticons carrying the remains of Bullseye and Hardwire. _They are yours._

**TWO LIFELESS HUSKS ARE NOT ENOUGH. IF YOU GIVE ME THE OTHER THREE, THEN I MAY CONSIDER YOUR OFFER.**

Cyclonus shrugged dismissively. _Very well, take them._

Realizing what was about to happen, looks of horror and fear spread across their faceplates and the three Decepticons let go of the remains and tried to bolt. Their efforts were in vain, however, as Unicron opened his maw and sucked them in with some mysterious power that latched onto only his intended victims, leaving Cyclonus, Scourge, and Salvo untouched. The other Decepticons scrambled and tried to break free of the force drawing them towards Unicron's mouth, but it was no use.

Within seconds, they were gone, the remains they had been carrying gone with them.

**THEIR ENERGY WILL SERVE ME WELL,** Unicron said, his voice darkly pleased. **BUT HOW WELL YOU DECEPTICONS SHALL SERVE ME REMAINS TO BE SEEN. WHAT IS IT YOU WANT?**

Cyclonus offered the remains of Lord Megatron, presenting them towards Unicron. _We only ask that you revive Megatron, our leader, that you restore him to us. Optimus Prime treacherously killed him and we wish for that to be undone._

**VERY WELL. BUT KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE CERTAIN CONDITIONS TO HIS REVIVAL-ONE OF WHICH WILL BE THAT FOR A TIME HE MUST SERVE ME. SINCE OUR GOALS APPEAR TO ME THE SAME, THAT IS HARDLY MUCH OF A CONDITION. BUT BE WARNED-THE CONSEQUENCES FOR FAILING TO UPHOLD THAT AND ANY OF THE OTHER CONDITIONS WILL BE SEVERE, BOTH FOR HIM AND ALL OF YOU AS WELL. DO YOU ACCEPT?**

_Yes, we accept, mighty Unicron,_ Cyclonus replied, the others nodding in agreement with him.

**PLACE HIS REMAINS IN FRONT OF ME, **Unicron ordered.

Cyclonus did so, pushing the makeshift metal stretcher that held Megatron's remains closer to Unicron.

**NOW, BACK AWAY IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN ONLINE. I NEED TO UNLEASH SOME OF MY ESSENCE TO RESTORE HIM. IF YOU ARE TOO CLOSE, YOU WILL BE DESTROYED.**

The Decepticons obeyed hurriedly, drawing back to what they assumed was a safe distance. Cyclonus turned back to watch, eager to see the true Decepticon leader revived. Next to him, Scourge and Salvo were watching the scene unfolding before them as well, but with slightly wary expressions, obviously concerned that there was still a chance Unicron would turn on them as well. Cyclonus knew it was a possibility, but victory was so close now it was definitely worth the risk.

Unicron approached Megatron's remains until he was nearly touching them. Two large spikes on either side of his mouth that resembled horns moved slightly, angling down until they were both pointing at the stretcher containing Megatron's remains. Both horns began to glow with purple energy.

Two beams of bright purple energy shot forward from the horns, engulfing Megatron with a flash of light, temporarily blinding the watching Decepticons. The light grew brighter, and the intensity of the purple energy surrounding Megatron's body grew as well, the mass of energy growing larger and larger until it completely hid the Decepticon leader from view.

**MEGATRON, AWAKEN AND SERVE ME!** Unicron's voice rang through the audios and processors of those present.

And, deep inside the sea of purple energy, Megatron's optics snapped open.


	23. Demands of the Destroyer

**A/N: **_Okay, there was a longer gap in-between the last chapter and this one than I originally intended, but I finally finished it._

_My trip to Orlando was fun, and very useful. The Transformers ride was awesome and served its purpose it inspiring me for this story. Nothing like going on a mission alongside the Autobots to do that! Especially at the end, when Optimus Prime thanked me for helping out. I also got to meet Bumblebee._

_It also made me want to use Evac in this story, even though I didn't intend to add any more characters. I may give him a small cameo role or something when we get to the Wreckers, we'll see._

_But enough gushing about the ride, there's a chapter here for you to read!_

_One more thing-I'm not sure who is officially older-Optimus or Megatron. Megatron always struck me as being the older of the two, so that's what I'm going with._

_Now, on to the story!_

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-Two-Demands of the Destroyer**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 3,214**

* * *

><p>THE LAST THING THAT MEGATRON COULD CLEARLY remember was the pain. He was no stranger to pain, of course; having inflicted it on so many others, he considered himself to be quite an expert in the matter of causing it. But this was different than it usually was. He had been the one on the receiving end this time instead of being the one inflicting it.<p>

Of course, he had also died once before, so the agony he remembered wasn't all that unfamiliar to him, either. There was no doubt in Megatron's mind that he _had_ died, had been rendered offline for a second time. He had been fighting Optimus, yes, he remembered that, but then the Prime had struck him down. Then, there had been the pain, and after that, nothing at all. Until now, of course. He could feel something immensely powerful pulling him back from the nothingness he had been trapped in. The fact that he was aware of this was telling enough.

So, he was no longer dead. He was online again.

However, returning _online _to the same pain that had sent him _offline_ in the first place was an entirely new experience for the Decepticon Leader. The last time he had been brought back from the void, it had been to a body that had been restored and repaired by his loyal Decepticon followers. The searing agony that continuously lanced through his frame now let him know that circumstances this time were very different. Despite the intense pain clouding his processors, Megatron was able to come to the conclusion that the other Decepticons weren't responsible for his awakening. Not even the most worthless among them would be foolish enough to bring him back online without repairing the damage done to his body first. That left the Decepticon leader with an unanswered question.

If the Decepticons had not revived him this time, then who had?

Before he could force himself to think of the answer, a cold, commanding voice rang through the painful haze in his processor.

**MEGATRON, AWAKEN AND SERVE ME!**

Despite the weakened condition he was trapped in, the Decepticon leader felt a flash of anger surge through him at the fact that the owner of the commanding voice, whoever he was, would dare to tell _him_ what to do. He remembered enough from the moments before he had gone offline to know that he would never again take orders from anyone. His ill-fated partnership with Sentinel Prime had been more than enough to show him that it had been a mistake to let anyone other than himself give commands to himself or the other Decepticons. He had been more or less ousted as leader due to that foolish mistake, one he would never make again.

No one would ever tell the Decepticon leader what to do ever again. From this point on, Megatron would answer to no one but himself.

With this in mind, Megatron had no intention of obeying whoever this was, but he found that his optics had snapped open at the mysterious command regardless. The same powerful, overwhelming presence he had felt pulling him back into the realm of the online had forced him to respond to the order to awaken; it as if he himself _had_ made the choice to do so, but it could not be more obvious that he had not.

Wariness replaced the anger that had flared in him at the mysterious command, and Megatron looked around at his surroundings, ignoring the pain he felt at doing so. As he did this, he discovered that his earlier assumption of not having been repaired at all was not entirely accurate. While it was true that the bulk of his injuries remained, his body was now, more or less whole-of course, how else would he be able to look around?-and he remembered the feeling of being torn apart before he had gone offline. So whoever had brought him back had put his body together but not truly healed the damage.

Megatron dismissed the question of _why_ that was so from his processor. He would learn the reasons later.

His surroundings, if they could even be called that, seemed to consist of nothing but a dense fog that glowed with an eerie purple light. Save for himself, it appeared to be completely empty.

**SO, YOU ARE AWAKE. MY WORK ON YOU IS NOT YET COMPLETE, HOWEVER.**

The voice was cold, commanding, and seemed to be everywhere at once, heard inside his processors and outside, in the empty, foggy space around him. Megatron looked around once more, but the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.

The Decepticon leader tested his vocal processors, and found that he could speak. The words were strained and painful, yes, but he could still speak. "Who are you?"

**YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHO AND WHAT I AM, MEGATRON.**

The fog directly in front of him seemed to condense and darken, gathering together until it formed the towering figure, larger than any Cybertronian, Autobot or Decepticon, that Megatron had ever seen. It remained too shadowy to completely make out, but Megatron could still see that the figure, despite its immense size, was similar in appearance to a Cybertronian, with jagged armor and cold purple optics.

**SURELY YOU RECOGNIZE ME NOW.**

Suddenly, Megatron realized he did know who this was, and a brief flash of fear-an emotion the Decepticon leader rarely felt-coursed through him. It couldn't be. It was impossible. And yet, here he was. And here he was, online when he should have been dead. In a way, it made sense. Who else would have the power to bring him back this time?

"Unicron."

**GOOD. IT SEEMS I AM NOT DEALING WITH SOMEONE USELESS, AFTER ALL. I BELIEVE THAT THIS WILL WORK.**

"What will work?" Megatron rasped, ignoring the continued pain he felt every time he spoke. "Why have you brought me back? That is, if this has actually happened. Do I function again?"

**NO, YOU DO NOT. NOT YET. I HAVE MERELY REASSEMBLED YOUR BODY AND SUMMONED YOU TO THIS PLACE IN-BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH SO THAT I MAY SPEAK WITH YOU.**

Despite the pain and the knowledge of who he was talking to, Megatron felt another surge of anger at Unicron's words. He would take orders from no one, not even this Cybertronian god. Not any longer! He was Megatron, Leader of the Decepticons. "Nobody summons Megatron!"

**THEN IT PLEASES ME TO BE THE FIRST. NOW, YOU MUST HEAR WHAT I HAVE TO SAY. I CAN RESTORE YOU COMPLETELY, MAKE YOU FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU EVER WERE. BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO SERVE ME IN RETURN.**

"Never," Megatron growled. "I will serve no one. I would rather go back to the void I was in than take orders from anyone ever again. Even from you."

Abruptly, the pain Megatron had been feeling increased a hundredfold. It wasn't just the pain from his wounds, although those now burned like fire. It was far worse than that; it felt as if something immensely powerful had wrapped around his Spark and was slowly crushing it. He doubled over, clawing at his chest armor, but then the invisible vise ensnared his limbs and body as well, and he could no longer move.

**PRIDEFUL FOOL! I AM NOT ASKING YOU TO SERVE ME, I AM TELLING YOU! DO NOT FORGET THAT I AM THE ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU BACK FROM THE VOID, OR WHAT IT WOULD MEAN IF YOU DO NOT DO AS I SAY! I NOW HAVE THE POWER OVER YOUR BODY, YOUR VERY SPARK, MEGATRON. I CAN DESTROY YOU WITH MERELY A THOUGHT. IF YOU REFUSE, YOUR DEATH AT MY HANDS WILL BE SUCH THAT YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD TAKEN MY OFFER. NEVER FORGET THAT!**

The hold over his frame ceased just as suddenly as it had begun, and Megatron was able to move on his own again, though his body protested doing so. Warily, he glanced up at the towering figure of Unicron in front of him before quickly averting his gaze as he considered what had just happened. Mentally, he weighed his options. He could refuse and be sent offline again, but he was not eager to experience the agony Unicron had inflicted on him again. The idea of taking orders again was not appealing either, but it was clearly the less painful route he could take, even if the thought of serving someone else made him angry. Being restored to a new body, a far more powerful one, was tempting, though.

_I can always take his offer and then find a way to escape his service,_ Megatron thought. _Everyone has a weakness that can be exploited. I just have to find his._ Mentally he cursed himself for not paying more attention to the legends when he was younger. He'd always scoffed at them at being nothing more than fantasy stories, and had scorned Optimus for insisting that they were real. Perhaps Unicron's weakness was in one of the legends.

He'd just have to find a way to learn of it.

_They say he is a god, but no one is all-knowing, no matter what they want you to believe. I can outwit him easily._

Out loud, however, what he said was, "What is your offer?"

**I WILL REBUILD YOU. GIVE YOU A MORE POWERFUL BODY. GREATER STRENGTH, IMPROVED STAMINA, BETTER WEAPONS. YOU WILL LIVE AGAIN. IN RETURN, YOU AND YOUR DECEPTICONS MUST SERVE ME. NOW, AS TO THE MATTER OF HOW YOU WILL SERVE ME, THERE IS A PLANET I AM TRAVELING TO. EARTH, I BELIEVE IT IS CALLED.**

Megatron looked up sharply at this.

**AH, SO YOU KNOW IT. I SUSPECTED AS MUCH. I HAVE SENSED THE PRESENCE OF A PRIME-THE LAST PRIME-ON THAT PLANET. HE CARRIES THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP.**

"Optimus Prime," Megatron growled. "He is the one who offlined me, robbing me of what is rightfully mine."

**THEN YOU SHOULD BE DELIGHTED AT WHAT I REQUIRE OF YOU. I WISH TO SEE THIS OPTIMUS PRIME AND ALL OF HIS FOLLOWERS DESTROYED.**

"That will be simple," Megatron replied. "I will not have any trouble-"

**SILENCE! IF YOU WERE CAPABLE OF DESTROYING THIS PRIME, YOU WOULD HAVE DONE SO ALREADY. I WAS NOT FINISHED. YOUR TASK IS NOT TO DESTROY THE PRIME. THAT IS MY TASK AND MY TASK ALONE! I AM THE ONE WHO WILL END THE LINE OF PRIMES, NOT YOU. NO, YOU ARE TO FIND THE MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP. STEAL IT, THEN DESTROY IT. **

Megatron hid his anger at being denied a chance to repay Optimus for what he had done as best as he could. Still inwardly seething, he asked, "And what of the Autobots-Optimus's followers?"

**YOU MAY DO WITH THEM WHAT YOU WILL, IT IS OF NO CONCERN TO ME. IT IS THE PRIME I WISH TO DESTROY MYSELF. THE OTHERS ARE YOURS.**

"I see." Megatron thought over this. He had no intention of serving Unicron. He would pretend to, yes, but he would carry out_ his_ agenda, not Unicron's. _Wait-Earth, the Autobots, Optimus Prime. Optimus read those legends repeatedly as a Youngling. He will know Unicron's weakness, then. I will force it out of him and then use that knowledge to outwit Unicron. _It was far more perfect than he could have hoped for; he was basically being handed the keys to being free of Unicron's orders, and Unicron didn't suspect a thing.

But what was this about the Matrix? Maybe that was Unicron's weakness. Unfortunately, only a Prime could wield it. He would need Optimus Prime for that, as well. He would have to trick the Prime into using it to defeat Unicron, and then he would destroy Optimus.

It would be difficult, but Megatron was confident that he could do it. There was only one thing left for him to do.

The Decepticon leader looked back at Unicron. "And once you have destroyed Optimus, then what?"

**YOUR USE TO ME WILL HAVE ENDED.**

That sounded ominous, but Megatron ignored it. "But I will still live?"

**IF YOU CARRY OUT YOUR TASK SUCCESSFULLY, YES.**

Megatron nodded. "I accept. I will do it."

**VERY WELL.**

Suddenly, his body was once again trapped in the invisible vise, and he was unable to move. The pain returned, not only in his Spark, but his entire body, as it felt like every piece of his frame and armor was being stretched, pulled, bent, torn, distorted…changed.

The pain continued as the purple light surrounding him grew brighter and brighter, until he could no longer see.

**I WILL BE WATCHING YOU, TO MAKE SURE YOU DO WHAT I HAVE ORDERED YOU. DESTROY THE MATRIX. ELIMINATE THE PRIME'S FOLLOWERS. SUCEEDED AND I WILL ALLOW YOU LIVE. FAIL ME, AND I WILL MAKE YOU TORMENT LOUD AND LONG BEFORE YOU DIE. **

The light faded, the pain disappeared. In its place was the feeling of power. Power, far greater than he had ever known. There was a faint pressure in his processor as a part of Unicron's awareness latched on to him. It was disconcerting, but he was too distracted by his newfound strength to particularly care. That was, until he found that he had shifted into his new alt mode without choosing to do so. Unicron had made him Transform. Were all of his actions going to be controlled by someone else now? Before he could consider that possibility further, the pressure in his processor ceased, and, although something still didn't quite feel right, it seemed control was his again, so he ignored it and turned his attention back to Unicron's voice.

**YOU ARE NO LONGER MEGATRON. YOU SERVE ME NOW, AND YOUR NEW PURPOSE REQUIRES A NEW DESIGNATION.**

For once, he agreed completely with Unicron's words. He _was_ no longer Megatron. Megatron was dead. Megatron had been weak. _He_ was not weak. He was not dead. He was alive and far more powerful than Megatron had ever been. Yes, he needed a new designation.

**NOW GO…GALVATRON!**

* * *

><p>Cyclonus watched with mounting excitement as the mass of glowing purple energy hiding Unicron and Megatron from view began to dissipate. It had seemed like solar cycles since Unicron had begun to work on reviving the Decepticon leader, but in reality it had been mere moments.<p>

Without warning, a gray, silver, and purple form shot out of the energy, heading towards the three remaining Decepticons at an incredible speed. As it came closer, Cyclonus noticed it was a vehicle, vaguely similar to an aircraft on Earth that the human insects called a helicopter. However, it was clearly of Cybertronian design, with only the slightest similarities to the human craft. It was nearly upon them when it shifted, armor panels twisting around and locking into place as the Transformation sequence concluded.

The mech was larger, much larger than Megatron had been. His armor alternated between silver, gray, and dark purple. A large plasma rife was mounted to his right arm, his only visible armed weapon, but his clawed hands were no doubt very useful as weapons themselves. The mech glared at them all with piercing red optics. He pinned Salvo and Scourge with his gaze before turning to face Cyclonus. This mech was different, yes, but there was still a visible resemblance to Megatron there.

Unicron had done more than resurrect him…he had recreated him.

The Decepticon Air Commander found his voice first-so to speak. Initiating a comm with the familiar yet unfamiliar newcomer, he hesitantly asked, _Megatron?_

_Megatron is dead, _The other mech snarled over the comm. _He was a weak fool. __**I**__ prefer to be called by my proper title-__**Lord Galvatron**__!_

Salvo and Scourge looked at each other in confusion, but Cyclonus bowed. After a second's hesitation, the other two did the same. Cyclonus noticed that the energy around Unicron had finally dissipated and the Destroyer was visible again, but he ignored that for the moment, instead transmitting a tight order to reactivate the Space Bridge.

_Lord Galvatron, _Cyclonus corrected._ We are grateful that you are alive. We have been working hard to ensure this for a long time._

Galvatron looked over the three Decepticons, then focused his complete attention back on Cyclonus. _Is this all that remains of the Decepticons?_

_No. There are fewer of us than there once were, but we still outnumber the Autobots. The others are simply not here at the moment._ Cyclonus looked back up, and gestured to where the Space Bridge portal had just come to life behind him, flickering with energy. _There is a Space Bridge waiting to take us back to the other Decepticons on the planet known as Mars, Lord Galvatron. What are your orders?_

_Follow me through the Space Bridge,_ Galvatron commanded, shifting back into his alt mode. Once the others had done the same, he flew towards to portal, issuing more orders as he went. _We will gather the others and head to Earth. You will tell me of all that I have missed on the way. We have work to do._

_What sort of work, if I may ask, Lord Galvatron? _Cyclonus questioned.

_It's been far too long since I've had a proper family talk with my dear little brother,_ Galvatron said darkly. _I am sure he must be quite worried about what happened to me. After all, I just vanished from where he no doubt had been put away once he killed me. That must be very troubling for him, don't you think?_

_Yes, very troubling,_ Cyclonus agreed in mock concern. _He must be very upset._

_I must go and put his processor at ease,_ Galvatron concluded. _Permanently_.

The three Decepticons went through the Space Bridge, and the energy dissipated behind them.

* * *

><p>Unicron watched them go. If he had been in robot mode, he would have shaken his head in dark amusement at their foolishness, especially the newly named Galvatron's.<p>

_**YOU THINK THAT I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE PLANNING, GALVATRON? YOU WILL FIND IT IS NOT SO EASY TO HIDE SECRETS FROM ME.**_

He resumed his path towards Earth, reaching out with his presence to locate another solar system he could decimate. He was still hungry. He needed energy, and the four planets he detected ahead would do quite nicely for that.

He would let Galvatron go on thinking he could outsmart the Chaos Bringer for now. It was amusing when the lowly worms thought they could outwit him. The only reason he tolerated such alliances with the weak and the stupid was because he was amused by their foolishness in thinking they could get the best of him, while in reality he was the one truly pulling all the strings and making use of _them_. Galvatron was not aware of how much control Unicron truly had over him yet. He would enjoy this for a while. But, in time, he would remind Galvatron of who really was in charge.

In the meantime, he would enjoy the chaos his not-so-loyal servant would bring to the last Prime and his followers before he would force him to obey his orders.

Satisfied for the moment, Unicron dismissed Galvatron and the Decepticons from his thoughts as he headed towards the next solar system.

He was hungry.

It was time to destroy.


	24. Fox and Scorpion

**A/N: **_This chapter took waaaaaay longer than I intended. Some of the sections put up a fight, and I ended up moving one section planned for the end of this chapter to the next one because 1) It made more sense story-wise to have it there and 2)This chapter is long enough as it is. I knew it was going to be one of the longer chapters, but it just kept getting longer and longer and I had to cut it off somewhere or it would be too long. It still ended up becoming the longest chapter in the story by far, anyway._

_I'm also a little unsure about bits and pieces of this chapter, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't figure out how to work said issues out and make them better. So, again, if you have any suggestions, or spot something that needs to be cleared up, be sure to let me know. I won't get mad-I appreciate the help!_

_So, in this chapter, we get glimpses of Galvatron's madness, and Sideswipe finally reveals why he still doesn't like or trust Firestorm. I had originally planned to give the humans more spotlight this chapter, but as I wrote it became obvious that wouldn't work in this chapter. Their time is coming, though, so don't worry._

_And now, the story._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-Three-Fox and Scorpion**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 20,903**

* * *

><p>THE CONSTANT RAINY WEATHER THAT THE BEGINNING of October brought seemed to perfectly reflect the overall mood of the humans and Autobots at the NEST base. The knowledge of what the Decepticons were doing, added to the fact that the time left before Unicron arrived was rapidly decreasing, was the reason for the grim atmosphere surrounding the base. While the fact that the Decepticons had not returned since their departure from Earth exactly three weeks ago was a small comfort, the members of NEST-human and Autobot alike-were aware it was only the calm before the storm, and were doing their best to be ready.<p>

The tension on base was so thick, even the Sparklings were affected by it, though they didn't understand what was actually going on. Trailbreaker, being the oldest, _was_ able to get a very slight idea of what the problem was-but still, the only thing he could really tell was that it was something bad, nothing more. Unable to identify just what it was that had their caretakers and everyone else so on edge, every one of the Sparklings had become clinger than normal, sticking as close to their caretakers as possible as they sought comfort from the unknown thing that was causing the grim atmosphere within the base. While this made their caretakers even more reluctant to leave their Sparklings when they had to, fortunately, being in the play area with each other caused them to revert back to their normal happy, playful selves.

Which was why Sideswipe, carrying Fireflight as he made his way to the Sparkling play area to drop him off before the scheduled morning patrol he was taking part in, found himself grateful that said clinginess didn't extend to causing the little ones to not want to be in the play area anymore. Being around each other seemed to make them feel safe. Which was good-Sideswipe couldn't exactly bring Fireflight with him to the training sessions. It wasn't safe and he didn't want to expose him to fighting of any sort-not even practice fights. And while he did feel worried about his Sparkling when he wasn't around to watch over him, he knew that the separations during the training sessions and patrols would help protect Fireflight and the others in the long run, so he willingly took part in them, leaving Fireflight behind every time.

That didn't mean he had to like it, though.

The silver mech looked down at Fireflight. The red and silver Sparkling was leaning back against him, holding his stuffed owl tightly as he looked around with interest, trying to see where his caretaker was taking him. For once he was holding relatively still, not wriggling around or trying to jump into flight, as he usually did whenever he was held or otherwise high up. He'd stopped his attempts to fly a few days ago, just as Ratchet had said he would do eventually, but Sideswipe secretly believed the only reason it had happened so soon was because of the uneasiness that Fireflight, like the others, was currently feeling. He wanted to stay with Sideswipe and didn't try to fly as a result.

"Trail!" Fireflight called out excitedly, interrupting Sideswipe's thoughts as the two of them entered the main hangar, bringing his attention to the play area.

Trailbreaker was already there, and he waved over at them when he heard Fireflight call his name. The red and blue Sparkling wasn't alone, of course; Optimus-who Sideswipe was going on patrol with-was standing close by, conferring with Firestorm, though he looked up when he noticed Sideswipe approaching. Firestorm looked over at the silver mech as well.

The sight of the former Decepticon caused a sense of hostility to flash through the silver mech, and Sideswipe stiffened slightly, his optics narrowing in suspicion. Fireflight noticed his caretaker's change in demeanor and looked up at him in confusion. Seeing this, Sideswipe forced himself to relax as he made his way over to the play area, doing his best to hide his hostility so that his Sparkling would no longer see it. Fireflight was uneasy enough already; he didn't want his continued feelings of animosity towards Firestorm to add to that. The easiest way to hide it was to fall back to his usual standby of completely ignoring the old Seeker, so that was what he did.

Briefly he wondered why Scattershot, the other recent Decepticon defector, did not cause him to feel the same hostility that he did with Firestorm. While it _was_ true that Sideswipe didn't really trust Scattershot fully either, he was also far less suspicious of the other mech than he was of Firestorm.

He came to the conclusion of why that was almost immediately.

That was because it could not be more obvious that the orange-armored former Decepticon was no fighter. Whereas Firestorm, who was widely known as having taken part in several battles against the Autobots, plainly looked and carried himself like a soldier. An old soldier, but one nonetheless. It was a quality Scattershot did not have. Scattershot was no threat, and Sideswipe knew it.

Firestorm, on the other hand, could very well still be, regardless of what the others thought. Despite the trust Optimus had in the old Seeker, Sideswipe couldn't find it in himself to trust Firestorm.

Not after what had happened the last time.

"Optimus," Sideswipe greeted, continuing to ignore Firestorm and doing his best to also pretend that he didn't see the look of disapproval the Prime gave him at his lack of offering a similar greeting to the former Decepticon.

"Sideswipe." Optimus nodded as he returned the greeting. "We will be leaving on patrol as soon as those who will be watching the Sparklings this morning arrive."

"Who's on duty this morning?" Sideswipe questioned. He knew it couldn't be Sunstreaker or Prowl; his brother had gone on the other morning patrol with the Second-in-Command. It also couldn't be Red Alert or Scattershot-they were working on some sort of training exercise, just as they had almost every morning since Optimus had made Red Alert the younger mech's mentor and supervisor for Scattershot's integration into the Autobot ranks.

"Bumblebee and Chromia," Optimus replied.

"Chromia?" Sideswipe asked, a look of concern flickering on his faceplate. "Is she well enough to be able to-"

"Ratchet has released her to light duty, and watching the Sparklings is one of the duties the medic has given his approval of her being able to do," Optimus cut him off firmly. "She is still recovering, yes, but she is more than able to look after the Sparklings. Ratchet would not have let her out of the medbay if she could not. Bumblebee will be there to help as well."

"All right. I was just…" Sideswipe trailed off, then shrugged. "That was a pretty significant injury she had to recover from, Prime. I'm just worried about her."

"As are we all, Sideswipe."

In Sideswipe's arms, Fireflight finally gave a little wriggle, having endured all of the serious adult conversation as long as he could before his close proximity to the play area and his friend got the best of him. He patted Sideswipe's arm, causing his caretaker to look down at him.

"Yes, what, little Fireball?" Sideswipe asked affectionately, grateful for the distraction from the increasingly serious topic of his conversation with Optimus.

"Down now, Sides. P'se?" Fireflight requested, looking up at Sideswipe pleadingly. "Want play."

"Alright. Here you go." Sideswipe sat the Sparkling in the play area next to Trailbreaker. "Be good and have fun, okay? And remember-no flying."

"'kay, Sides. No fly," Fireflight readily agreed, before following Trailbreaker to a nearby pile of toys.

Sideswipe watched the two Sparklings sort through the pile of toys for a minute before straightening up, turning back to face Optimus just in time to see Bumblebee-with Blaster held safely in his arms, of course-and Chromia heading towards the play area. Bumblebee turned and said something to Sam and Carly, who had been walking with him, before waving at them as the two humans left the main hanger to attend to their own jobs on the base. Once they were gone, Bumblebee turned and caught up to Chromia, following her the rest of the way to the play area.

Chromia, as Optimus had said, looked far better than she had on her arrival to the Autobot base the previous month. She still had a tired air around her, but aside from that she both looked and acted just as she had before she had disappeared two years ago. Sideswipe still couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't quite right about Chromia's health, but he dismissed it. If Ratchet had agreed to let her out of the medbay, she must be fine.

"Good morning, Chromia, Bumblebee," Optimus Prime greeted. "Thank you for agreeing to watch over the Sparklings this morning."

"You're welcome," Chromia said, smiling in the direction of the Sparklings before looking back at the Autobot leader. "Ratchet said he'll bring First Aid and Beachcomber here later himself, so you can leave on the patrol now if you want, Optimus. We'll be fine."

_I don't think we'll have much trouble here,_ Bumblebee agreed as he glanced over to where Trailbreaker and Fireflight were still sorting through their toys. In his arms, Blaster let out a soft click and snuggled back against his caretaker, obviously having no desire to be set down just yet.

Optimus nodded. "I see. Be sure to let us know if anything _does _happen while we are gone." He turned to Firestorm. "I will speak with you more over the matter we were discussing earlier once Sideswipe and I return, Firestorm."

The old Seeker inclined his head respectfully. "Very well. There is no rush; I am fine where I am for the time being, Optimus Prime."

Sideswipe glanced suspiciously at Firestorm, wondering what the old mech was talking about. _No rush for what? What is he planning?_

His thoughts were cut off when Optimus turned to him. "Sideswipe, we are leaving now."

With another hostile glance at Firestorm, Sideswipe turned and followed the Prime out of the main hangar. Optimus shifted into his alt mode and was heading down the road that lead to the base's exit as soon as they were outside, trusting Sideswipe to follow after him. Sideswipe was getting ready to do just that when a slightly gruff voice behind him caused him to pause before Transforming.

"Wait, please."

Stiffening, Sideswipe turned and found himself facing Firestorm. His expression immediately hardened, unmasked hostility clearly visible in his optics and the tension of his frame. From the way Firestorm was standing and looking at him, it was obvious that this time, his usual method of ignoring the former Decepticon would not work. Firestorm clearly intended to speak to him about something and would not leave until he had done so. He and the old Seeker looked at each other for a moment, before Sideswipe had had enough.

"What do _you_ want?" He growled.

Firestorm took a step forward, but froze when Sideswipe tensed even further, even going so far as to deploy his blades and raise them slightly. _If he thinks I'm going to let him just walk up to me like he's an Autobot, like he's one of us, he's wrong. He is a __**Decepticon**__._

The old Seeker gazed at him for another moment, an unreadable expression on his faceplate. Finally, in a resigned tone of voice, he asked, "Sideswipe, why do you hate me?"

Sideswipe felt a sense of incredulity and surprise at the Decepticon's question, but both feelings were quickly replaced by anger. Did the old Seeker _seriously_ not know why Sideswipe didn't like or trust him? "Why do I hate you?" He asked quietly, then raised his voice. "Why do I _hate _you? You honestly want to know? Fine, I'll _tell _you!"

He threateningly pointed one of his blades at Firestorm. "You see, Firestorm, we've been through something like this before, with someone like you. Someone who claimed to be on our side. One year ago, we were reunited with a long-ago ally. He was a friend, a leader, a brave soldier, and we believed he would help us win the war. And he acted like he would…just like you. But that was all it was with him-an act. He betrayed us. We trusted him, and he _betrayed_ us. When he showed his true colors, he…" Sideswipe's arm trembled, and he lowered his blade, pain taking the place of the anger he felt. "He killed one of his own. Ironhide had fought to keep him safe, and Sentinel Prime _killed_ him. Shot him with cosmic rust…Primus, Ironhide just _disintegrated_. One of the most painful deaths you could ever give a mech, and it was a trusted ally who gave it to him." He paused briefly, struggling to get his emotions somewhat under control, then continued.

"Ironhide was my friend and mentor, the closest thing Bumblebee had to a father, and one of the best warriors and friends the Autobots…and yes, humans as well, ever had. And because we were all foolish enough to blindly trust…" Sideswipe shook his head, unable to continue. But then he looked back at Firestorm, and his pain and sadness were quickly replaced by anger when he saw that the Seeker was looking at him with what seemed to be shock, as if he did not believe a word Sideswipe was saying. He was too angry to consider that the shock might simply be because Firestorm had not truly expected him to open up like this. "And then _you_ came, almost exactly one year later, a soldier as well, telling us almost the same thing. Only with you, it was Unicron, not the Decepticons. A new war that only you knew the secret to a victory for. You claim that we can trust you, that you are on our side, that you can help us win _this_ war. See the similarities?"

Firestorm opened his mouth to speak, but Sideswipe cut him off before he could even begin. "Shut up! Nothing you say will make me believe any different. Unlike Sentinel, you were on the Decepticons' side from the beginning and we all know that. You claim otherwise now, of course, and Optimus and many of the others believe you. The threat you warn us of is real, but as for you yourself? The others may trust you, _Optimus_ may trust you, but me? I'm not convinced. I already made the mistake to trust someone like you before. I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I have someone who depends on me too much for me to risk it. And when _you_ show _your_ true colors…" He glanced at the Decepticon insignia on Firestorm's chassis with a snort of contempt. "Well, I hope I'm there, so that I can make sure that what happened to Ironhide does not happen to anyone else this time." He turned away.

"You're a Decepticon soldier, Firestorm. That's _more_ than enough of a reason for me to hate you."

Without another word, Sideswipe shifted into his vehicle form and drove away to where Optimus was waiting, leaving Firestorm standing by the main hangar. He had finally gotten everything out, had said what he had kept bottled up inside, but now that he had unleashed his emotions, he found himself struggling to bring them back under control so he could focus on his patrol. To accomplish that, Sideswipe dismissed Firestorm from his thoughts as he caught up to Optimus.

He didn't look back as the two of them left the base.

And because he did not look back, he failed to see the look of intense pain on Firestorm's faceplate.

* * *

><p>Red Alert watched intently as Scattershot made his way through the mazelike obstacle course that served as a changeable training exercise for both the humans and Autobots. The paths in the course could be changed, as well as the obstacles that were present inside it. Said obstacles represented enemy soldiers or danger zones. It was an exercise that the Autobots had actually used themselves back on Cybertron, and they had helped the humans modify it so both Autobots and humans could use the maze. He hadn't been assigned a patrol that morning and had some time before the first training session, so the red-armored mech was once again overseeing Scattershot taking part in an exercise designed to help reveal the younger mech's abilities. Usually Prowl accompanied the two of them, but as he <em>was<em> on patrol that morning and had other duties to attend to once he returned, Red Alert and Scattershot were alone for this session.

The point of the exercise was relatively simple. First, from the vantage point high above the maze-where Red Alert was currently standing-the participant would have a brief chance to overlook the maze and attempt to plan a course that would take them through it, while avoiding the danger zones and taking out or evading the enemies inside. Then, once that was done, the one taking the challenge would go down into the maze and do their best to remember their decided path, attempting to make their way through successfully.

The exercise was reinforcing what Red Alert had discovered about the younger mech he was supervising, during the past few weeks he had been working with him.

Scattershot was smart. _Very_ smart. And, despite what the orange-armored mech believed, he had an excellent memory and terrific observation skills. He was having no trouble following the path he had laid out to Red Alert before he had gone into the maze. It was a path that expertly avoided all danger zones and enemy obstacles. The path Scattershot had chosen was actually present, in varying capacities, in every layout of the maze. But it was designed to be very hard to spot and navigate, and as such it wasn't often used.

Scattershot had found it almost immediately, despite never having even seen this particular training exercise before, a fact that greatly impressed Red Alert.

It seemed that being in an environment where he wasn't constantly shoved around, bullied, and called weak, stupid, or useless, but was instead encouraged, and treated on equal terms and with kindness, had caused what could only be Scattershot's true potential to finally begin to reveal itself. And while Scattershot was still slightly nervous and continued to lack self-confidence, the orange-armored former Decepticon had become a different mech that he had been a few weeks ago. He no longer flinched away when he was spoken to, and had become a bit more talkative than he had been before. He still didn't think he would be very useful to the Autobot cause, but he _was_ trying, that much was obvious. Scattershot was a hard worker, and his only real remaining problem was his lack of self-confidence.

Red Alert felt confident that Scattershot could get past that particular barrier, though. It might take a while, but it would happen eventually. His own opinion and attitude towards the younger mech had also changed from what it had been initially. While he was, of course, still paranoid and prone to panic attacks and anxiety, none of it was directed at Scattershot anymore. Working with him and truly getting to know him over the last few weeks had been more than enough to allow Red Alert to be able to trust…and yes, even befriend…the younger mech.

And if Red Alert-an Autobot who knew full-well that he was considered to be the most anxious and paranoid mech around and didn't argue with it-could work past the issues he had himself to help a former Decepticon, then said former Decepticon could make it through his own problems himself. Red Alert would help him, if he needed it. Primus knew Red Alert had plenty of experience in working to overcome lingering emotional issues.

Seeing that Scattershot had almost made it to the end of the maze, Red Alert left the viewing platform and made his own way to the exit. He arrived just before Scattershot emerged. Seeing his mentor standing there, Scattershot hesitated nervously, but then came forward to meet him.

"I was watching you from up on the viewing platform," Red Alert said, nodding towards the direction of said platform. "You stuck completely to the path you picked out before you went into the maze." He made no effort to hide the fact that he was impressed. "Well done."

"Thank you, sir. I think it was probably just a lucky mistake, though." Scattershot looked down in nervous embarrassment. "I don't think I'd have made it through otherwise. I'm not good with that kind of thing on purpose."

"A mistake? I don't think so. Listen, Scattershot, you really need to stop bringing yourself down like this. You've got an excellent memory-no other way you would have been able to follow you pre-picked path out exactly." Red Alert's words were firm but kind. "We're not Decepticons, Scattershot. Everyone here is valuable in their own way."

"I'm trying, sir," Scattershot replied miserably, still not looking at the older Autobot. "But it's hard-I was raised to believe differently. I know it's not true now, but…the Decepticons weren't exactly kind in reinforcing their beliefs when they were dealing with those of us they thought were useless. I know the Autobots aren't like that, but…I was with the Decepticons for a longer time…almost my whole life."

"Well, you're not with them anymore, so don't worry about what they think," Red Alert said firmly. "And, you know what? They were wrong about you being useless." He gestured towards the maze. "What you just did proved that."

Scattershot finally looked up. "It did, really, sir?"

"Of course. Not very many soldiers-humans or Autobots, actually-can find the safe route in the maze right away like that. But you did, and on your first try, too." He gave Scattershot a small smile. "Besides, you've also managed to get through my anxiety and paranoia. Not many can do that."

The nervousness finally began to fade from the orange-armored mech's expression and demeanor at Red Alert's kind words, enough for him to give the older Autobot a faint smile. Finally, Scattershot looked at his mentor questioningly. "Red Alert, sir, do you really think my memory is that good?"

"Only one way to find out." Red Alert looked at the other mech with an air of friendly challenge. "Do you want to see if you can do it again, but with a different maze configuration?"

Scattershot nodded, the tiny bit of hesitation that had still been present in his manner and expression slowly fading. "I'll try my best, sir."

Red Alert gave the younger mech a look of approval. "I know you will."

* * *

><p>Just as she had promised herself that she would, Chromia had spent a good deal of the time since her and Arcee's arrival on the Autobot base-after she had recovered enough that Ratchet had finally agreed to allow her to leave the medbay, of course-observing Bumblebee and Blaster together. In fact, she had found herself spending time with all of the Sparklings, due to watching over the Sparklings being one of the tasks Ratchet had deemed more or less light enough for her due to her still weakened condition-while it was true that watching Sparklings could be tiring-and she did find herself tiring more easily than she had before-it was nowhere near the strain of battle training. She <em>had<em> enjoyed getting to know each of the little ones, and doing so helped her to push the knowledge of what her actual health was out of her processor, so she didn't mind not being able to take part in the training and other patrols with the others _quite_ so much, even though she still didn't really like having to stay on the sidelines. Chromia knew she would be needed on the battlefield when the time came and not being able to prepare for it at the moment was frustrating, even though her health depended on her taking it relatively easy right now. At least the fact that Ratchet had deemed her healthy enough to leave the medbay and resume light duty had worked towards alleviating some of the intense worry that the others-especially Arcee and Bumblebee-had been directing at her.

And it had given her the chance to see what she had wanted to. Chromia was satisfied and touched by what she had learned from the time she had spent observing Bumblebee and little Blaster. Bumblebee was an excellent caretaker, observant, careful, patient, and infinitely loving. Blaster _did_ have separation anxiety, but it seemed to be mild most of the time; in any case, he was happy, healthy, and trusted Bumblebee unconditionally. It was obvious that Blaster loved his caretaker and that Bumblebee just as equally loved him back. Bumblebee might still be a Youngling, but he _was_ the perfect caretaker for the smallest, youngest Sparkling, and Chromia found herself wondering how she could have ever thought that was not true.

A burst of happy squeals and enthusiastic giggling drew her out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see all five Sparklings-Ratchet had just recently dropped off Beachcomber and First Aid in the play area-clinging to Bumblebee, in what appeared to be a game of some kind, resulting in the young Autobot more or less transporting all of them around the play area. The sight brought a small smile to Chromia's face. She had also noticed over the past few weeks that the young Scout was extremely popular with _all_ of the Sparklings, almost like he was a big brother to all of them. Well, except for Blaster, of course; there was no way to mistake his relationship with the little one as being anything but that of a caretaker and his Sparkling. In any case, the Sparklings were very attached to Bumblebee-not as much as they were to their caretakers, of course, but they still liked him a lot-and Bumblebee plainly enjoyed being able to look after and play with them-and it was a responsibility that he took very seriously as well.

Bumblebee always _had_ liked taking care of others. It had been a trait present in him ever since he was very small, as had the way he was always more concerned about how those he cared about felt over how he himself was.

Like now.

He'd been worried about her, ever since the day when they had arrived back at the base after what had happened in Kentucky. Ratchet had kept his word and told no one about her true condition besides Optimus, and the Prime had also kept silent about it. Even Arcee, though she didn't know Chromia's actual condition, had relaxed out of her worrying once she saw Chromia out of the medbay and moving around on her own. But despite that, and the fact that Chromia was now up and about, Bumblebee _still_ felt worried, because he knew that Chromia was hurting over the loss of both Elita, and, more recently, Ironhide. True, he had been worried about Arcee and was also trying to spend time with her, but she hadn't been as bad-off health wise as Chromia was, and he knew it.

The scout was doing his best to help her feel better, but it was actually making Chromia feel guilty. Not only because she was keeping the truth about her Spark away from Bumblebee-and she actually felt guilty about keeping it from nearly everyone-but also because she knew that he had also been hurt by Ironhide's death. Arcee had told her about the intense sadness and pain she had seen the younger Autobot try to hide away when he had just _mentioned_ Ironhide, and Ratchet had told her that Bumblebee had seen Ironhide die right in front of him, how badly he had been suffering emotionally in the events following it. He had gotten better since then, and was doing his best to move on, she could see that, but the pain would always be there.

Chromia knew that.

Even though she knew it couldn't have been helped, Chromia still felt an ache in her Spark that, while related in a sense, was not from the pain she still felt from where Ironhide had been torn away. Bumblebee had needed her. Her Youngling had _needed_ her, and she hadn't been there for him. The other Autobots had helped him, and Sam, and even Blaster, yes, but she knew that _she_ could have helped. They could have helped each other heal. It wasn't her fault that she hadn't been there, she knew, but still…

She shook her head slightly. There was no point in thinking about what she could have done. The important thing was that she was here now. Bumblebee was doing his best to help _her_, so she would do her best to help _him_ heal from the pain that obviously still lingered from what had happened. He was her Youngling-_their _Youngling. Her and Ironhide's. He had been theirs ever since that long-ago day when Ironhide had shown her the tiny squeaking bundle of barely-formed yellow armor he had pulled from the rubble of the Youth Sectors. They were a family, they needed each other, and Chromia knew that, together, they would both be able to finish healing.

Chromia continued to watch as the Sparklings carried on whatever game they had in mind and Bumblebee patiently allowed them to do so, the happy glint visible in his optics as he walked towards some of the scattered toys in the play area telling how much he enjoyed playing with them. _He is still a Youngling himself, and he hardly ever had the chance to play, just __**play**__, when living during a war demanded him to grow up far more quickly than anyone his age should have to._ _Not to mention the fact that there were no others younger than he was, or even his own age._ Another feeling of sadness surfaced in Chromia at that thought, but what she was observing drove it away. Things were better now, both for Bumblebee and the Sparklings.

Trailbreaker, Beachcomber, First Aid, and Fireflight finally detached themselves from Bumblebee when the scout stopped next to a stack of blocks and other toys, the earlier game of holding onto Bumblebee apparently finished as they moved on to playing with the nearby toys instead. Blaster, however, remained clinging to Bumblebee's leg, and the scout knelt down, gently detaching the tiny Sparkling from his leg before straightening up again, shifting his hold on Blaster so that he was secure against his armor as he made his way back to where Chromia was.

"They seem to be having fun," Chromia commented, nodding in the direction of the four Sparklings, as Bumblebee came to a stop next to her.

_They nearly finished me off,_ Bumblebee joked. _Once they have their minds set on a game, you just have to go along with it, even if the game is 'let's all use Bumblebee to get a free ride over to our toys'._ He paused briefly, then hurriedly continued, as if he thought Chromia might have taken his words the wrong way. _It's fine, though, really. I don't mind._

"I know," Chromia replied, giving the young Autobot a small smile. "I could tell you were having just as much fun as they were."

Before Bumblebee could reply, Blaster let out an enthusiastic squeak of "Hi, hi! Hi, Mia!" from his position in his caretaker's arms.

Chromia's smile widened slightly at the Sparkling's cheerful greeting. "Hello to you, too, Sweetspark," She responded, giving him a light tap on the noseplate with a finger, causing Blaster to giggle. The happy sound further banished Chromia's earlier troubled thoughts. With his cheerful and loving personality, Blaster reminded her a great deal of Bumblebee at the same age-in fact, actually, Bumblebee was _still_ like that. Still smiling, she looked back at Bumblebee. "Clingy today, huh?"

_Just right now,_ Bumblebee replied. _ It hasn't been too bad since a few days after the…well, what happened at the cave. He'll probably want back down so he can play with his friends pretty soon._

"That's good." After a few days of patient questioning-both of Bumblebee and Ratchet-Chromia had learned the story of Blaster's abduction by the Decepticons and his eventual rescue, which had explained the little Sparkling's separation anxiety and resulting moments of clinginess. While the story had initially troubled her, she could see that Bumblebee was taking care of things rather well and that Blaster was recovering relatively quickly, even though he still seemed to prefer to be with his caretaker than anyone else. "I'm glad he's doing better."

_Me, too_, Bumblebee agreed. _I hated seeing him so upset right when he…well, after everything first happened. Hold on…_ In his arms, Blaster had started wriggling, the request of "Down, Bee, p'se" that accompanied the movement proving the scout's earlier assumption that Blaster's clinginess would be short lived. Bumblebee willingly obliged the Sparkling, lowering him almost to the floor, holding on to his hands as Blaster found his still-rather-unsteady-balance in standing up. Still holding Blaster's hands, Bumblebee carefully helped him "walk" towards where the other Sparklings were still playing. Even though he had just recently learned to stand and was in no way ready to walk on his own, Blaster was clicking in excitement, his entire faceplate lighting up in delight as his caretaker helped him move the same way his older and bigger friends did.

Chromia watched as Bumblebee helped Blaster over to where the other Sparklings were, the small smile still present on her faceplate. However, her internal feelings were different. Seeing Bumblebee and Blaster interacting with each other, watching as the young Autobot played with the Sparklings, while allowing her to push aside all the troubled thoughts, guilt, and other feelings about her health and keeping the truth hidden from the others, was also serving to strengthen her resolve of what she needed to do-it gave her a reason to work to regain her strength. In her Spark she felt a surge of determination. _This is what's at stake here. This is why I'm needed on the battlefield. The world needs to become a safe place for them to grow up in._

_I'm sorry, Ratchet. But you won't be able to keep me on the sidelines much longer. I need to fight._

* * *

><p>Even though his main job at NEST was working with the Intel department-and usually alongside Computron and sometimes Mirage-Sam had volunteered to help Prowl and some of the other human members of NEST in monitoring the skies for the Decepticons' return during the weeks following their reported departure from the planet. He wanted to help out as best as he could, and, at the moment, Prowl's team was the one that needed the most help right now. It was probably also one of the most important tasks going on now, aside from the training sessions and daily patrols and watching of the Sparklings. In order for the Autobots and the rest of NEST to have any sort of advantage, they would need to be alerted the moment the Decepticons arrived back on Earth.<p>

Knowing this made what would most likely have ordinarily been a very boring and tedious job-if he had a job doing something similar one year ago, before the whole world-is-at-stake stuff happened, that he probably would have not been very enthusiastic about it at all-something that Sam took very seriously.

_Then again, I've always taken anything regarding the Decepticons seriously,_ Sam thought as he closely observed one of the satellite feeds he was responsible for. Even though it contained nothing of interest, he paid careful attention to it for a few minutes before focusing on another. _At least this time around we'll be more or less reasonably prepared for them._

Sam wasn't blind to just how worried the Autobots were about what was happening. That was more than enough to show that the battle with the Decepticons that was obviously coming was going to be different from any of the previous battles they'd had against them before. The Decepticons had been reduced, but they still outnumbered the Autobots, and who knew what abilities Megatron would have once he was revived? The last time this had happened, the Decepticon leader had come back stronger and more aggressive than he had been before. Seeing as how Unicron would be the one reviving him this time-and after hearing the stories of Unicron from the Autobots-Megatron would probably be far more powerful than he had been after the _first_ time he had been brought back from the dead.

Even to Sam, who had faced Megatron- and other Decepticons as well-three times, it was a scary thought.

Sam wasn't a soldier, he knew that. Not officially, anyway. He'd had no prior military training and had only recently begun to be taught basic self-defense from the soldiers on the NEST base-but he was learning, and had been promised that he would be taught more eventually-but all that aside, he _was_ a fighter. He had participated in every major battle between the Autobots and Decepticons on Earth; heck, he'd even _killed_ a Decepticon-Starscream-back in Chicago, as well as Megatron way back in the first Earth battle in Mission City-though Sam credited the All-Spark more for that than he did himself. Sam knew that he would take part in this battle, too. No way was he going to let Bee fight on his own. They were a team and would help each other. They would be fighting to protect their family, and they would do it together, like they always did.

He had already told Carly about his resolve to help the Autobots in the coming fight. And while she was worried about what could happen to him-and Bumblebee, too, as well as Wheelie and Brains, as the three Autobots would be fighting as well- she also understood why he wanted to do it, and she supported his decision even though the idea of him being caught in the middle of yet another battle scared her. But Carly knew that he wanted to do this, that he _needed_ to do this, and gave him her full support. And, surprisingly, she had even made _her_ intentions to help in whatever way she could known to him, as well, and Sam was, once again, amazed at how much her opinions and attitude towards the Autobots had changed from what it had been before.

He was about to shift attention to yet another monitor when something displayed on the one he was currently looking at caught his eye, and he refocused his full attention back on it. The screen had been empty before-well, empty of anything suspicious, that is-but now there was definitely something moving through the picture. Nothing was truly visible, but there was no doubt in Sam's mind that something, something large, something that was definitely not supposed to be there, was moving through the area depicted on the monitor. It reminded him of something that had been in a book he had read when he was a kid-a description of a ship moving while utilizing a force field that made it nearly invisible-only this was real, not something happening in a kid's book. If he looked closely, he could faintly make out a shimmering ripple moving forward in the image.

Well, whatever it was, it wasn't natural.

"Hey, Prowl?" Sam called, looking over his shoulder at the Autobot Second-in-Command, who had recently returned from his patrol and was sitting at another set of monitors, going over something with Computron. When Prowl looked up at him, he gestured for the Autobot to come over. "Come here and look at this."

Prowl stood up and walked over to Sam, Computron following with a curious expression on his faceplate.

"What is it, Sam?" Prowl asked, coming to a stop next to Sam as Computron settled on the back of a nearby chair.

"Look." Sam pointed at the monitor that he had first spotted the ripple movement on. To his relief, he saw that it was still there. "It's hard to see, but there's definitely something moving through this area here." As he spoke, the nearly invisible movement moved from the screen he was pointed to the one beside it. "There! It moved to the next area! See it?"

"I do." Prowl nodded. "I believe this is what we have been watching for-evidence that the Decepticons have returned, as Cyclonus said they would."

"Well, it could be a glitch," Computron suggested, though the tone of his voice showed he didn't really believe that was the case.

"Possibly, yes, it could be. But moving from screen to screen like that, in a relatively straight line? I doubt it." Prowl frowned. "Judging by its size, and the fact that the Decepticons are known to have limited cloaking abilities with some of their warships…"

"They do?" Sam asked. He had never heard of the Decepticons making use of cloaking abilities before, never even considered it, but it _did_ make sense. Cybertronians were far more advanced in their technology that humans were, after all. And, now that he thought about it, Scattershot had mentioned that Cyclonus had brought some technology the Decepticons didn't currently have with him when he came to Earth. The cloaking device could have been one of the things he had brought with him, if the Decepticons hadn't had one already.

"Yes," Prowl confirmed. "It's not a reliable technology, though. It often stops working, or, as in this case, the effect isn't complete and the movement of the cloaked ship can still be seen. Good work spotting it, Sam."

"Can we track them? I mean, is it possible to find where they're going when they're using a cloaking device?" Sam asked, looking briefly back at the faint movement on the screen before looking back at Prowl. He was aware that the others in the room were listening to them now, but ignored them, remaining focused on Prowl instead.

"Not completely possible, no. We might be able to get a _very_ generalized idea of where they are heading, but with this cloak on the ship, we will not be able to pinpoint their landing exactly."

"Cloaking may not be reliable, but the devices still mess with our scanners and tracking abilities," Computron informed Sam. "The movement can be seen, but once they enter the atmosphere, we'll most likely lose them."

"So they're back, and they don't want us to know it, going by this cloaking they're using," Sam said, tapping his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "Or, maybe, they _do_ want us to know they're back, but want to make use worry about how we won't know exactly where they are, so they can try to take advantage of us that way." To his surprise, he felt relatively calm about all this. Maybe it was because it had been expected, maybe it was the fact that they had all prepared for this as best as they could, or maybe it was simply because he'd faced the Decepticons before and knew how to handle things now, with five years of experience. Whatever it was, Sam didn't feel panicked about this. A tiny bit nervous, maybe. But definitely not panicked.

"We need tell Optimus about this right away," Computron said. He looked up at Prowl. "He's still on patrol, isn't he?"

"He and Sideswipe should be back soon," Prowl replied. "But I will let him know immediately."

"The human authorities will need to know, as well," Computron added, taking flight off the back of the chair he had been perched on. "I'll go tell Colonel Lennox and Director Mearing about this. They can take it from there." The small mech quickly left the room.

"I bet there will be a meeting before the training sessions today," Sam commented, looking at Prowl.

Prowl nodded in agreement. "That will be the best course of action to take, Sam. It seems to have become a rather frequent occurrence lately, but that can't be helped. It _is_ the best way. But first, Optimus must know about it."

As Prowl fell silent, indicating that he was speaking with Optimus over his comm, Sam looked back at the screen. The faint rippling movement was almost out of sight now, becoming harder and harder to see the closer it got to Earth.

_Alright, then,_ Sam thought. _Looks like_ _they're back, but we're ready for them this time. It's time to finish this._

* * *

><p>Optimus Prime was already on his way back to the base with Sideswipe-another uneventful patrol completed-when he received Prowl's message about what Sam had discovered while on monitor duty. Despite the gravity of the news, his reply was calm and collected, as he issued instructions for Prowl to assemble all those Autobots and human NEST members on the base for an emergency meeting, which the Second-in-Command agreed to immediately, cutting of communications with the Prime so that he could carry out the orders. That finished, Optimus spoke to Sideswipe next.<p>

_Sideswipe, Prowl has just contacted me. Sam has seen something that seems to indicate that the Decepticons have returned. We must return to base as quickly as possible._

_On it, Prime,_ Sideswipe replied, following Optimus's lead by increasing his speed as much as possible-within the human legal limit for vehicles traveling on the road, of course.

_So, the Decepticons have returned,_ Optimus thought. He was certain that what Prowl had reported was a sighting of a cloaked Decepticon warship-no doubt the same one that had been detected leaving the planet three weeks ago. _They must have been successful in their quest. There is no telling what powers Unicron may have given to Megatron, but we will find a way to take care of this. We are prepared for them this time._

Optimus would see to it that what had happened at the cave would not be repeated.

This time, the Decepticons would not be able take them by surprise.

The Autobots and their human allies were ready.

* * *

><p>Howlback shook herself irritatedly, glaring up at the continuous downpour of rain that mocked her pointless attempts to rid herself of the annoyance of being wet. The first thing Megatron-no, Galvatron, as he was apparently calling himself now-had done upon his return to the other Decepticons was order them all aboard the warship, to return to Earth. So they had, coming back to an area hidden in the mountains near the place they had last faced the Autobots, where they had promptly been greeted by this wet weather. To Howlback, staying at their previous location off-world and carrying out whatever Galvatron had in mind from there would have been preferable. Mars may have been a bleak place, but at least it had been <em>dry<em>. Of course, there was no disobeying their leader.

Even if it meant having to deal with this slagging rain.

The catlike Decepticon shook herself fruitlessly one more time. She hated water, and she hated being wet. She had no idea how Ravage had been able to stand it, let alone _like_ it. Water was _horrible_. With a disgusted growl, she ceased her pointless struggle to stay dry, and turned around and looked over at the new Decepticon camp from her perch on a nearby boulder.

They had only just landed about an hour ago, but already the ship had been unloaded, the various weapons, Energon, and equipment that had made up its cargo sitting under an overhang of rock in the side of one nearby mountain, where it was relatively dry. Cyclonus was there, walking around the various accumulated Cybertronian technology, occasionally shoving one of the other Decepticons roughly out of the way as he pointed out certain weapons, or unrefined Energon, or signal dampeners, to Galvatron, who was walking alongside him. Even if she didn't have the advanced audio receptors she did, Howlback would have been able to tell what was going on-Cyclonus was obviously going over what their current resources were to the newly revived Decepticon leader; no doubt they were planning on what would be most useful in the upcoming confrontation with the Autobots-and she watched with mild interest until Galvatron happened to look in her direction.

He wasn't truly looking at her-his focus was clearly on the surroundings of the Decepticon camp-but seeing the piercing red gaze of the revived Decepticon leader being focused anywhere remotely near her caused a trickle of fear to make its way into her Spark, and she hurriedly averted her optic, leaping down from the boulder and hurrying off into the other Decepticons assembled in the camp, telling herself that she was just going to look for Ratbat, but she was actually feeling a sudden need to put as much space as possible between herself and Galvatron.

She had known about the plan to get Unicron to revive Megatron-she wasn't supposed to know about it, of course, but she had overheard Cyclonus and Salvo talking about it on the first trip to Mars-and even then, she had been uneasy about it. Now, after everything had been carried out and Megatron had returned to them as Galvatron, she found herself wondering if it had all been a terrible mistake.

Howlback had felt a sense of _wrongness_ about Galvatron the moment he had emerged from the Space Bridge alongside Cyclonus, Scourge, and Salvo. He still somewhat looked like Megatron, but at the same time it was clear that he was no longer the same mech who had been sent offline one year ago. The fact that he had rejected his own designation in favor of a new one proved that. Had Unicron done something to him-apart from resurrecting him and giving him a new body, of course- that changed him so much? Maybe he had, and that was why Howlback could sense something wrong about Galvatron. Perhaps Galvatron's processor was no longer his own. True, Galvatron seemed to be acting on his own, doing things that only the Decepticon leader would do, but at the same time…

Howlback trusted her instincts. Something about Galvatron made her armor prickle and her Spark tight with fear. That feeling had never been present around the Decepticon leader when he had been simply Megatron. It had only come into existence when he had become Galvatron. She wasn't sure if any of the other Decepticons sensed what she did, though judging by the tense looks they kept casting in Galvatron's direction and by the way they did their best to steer clear of him when possible-except for Cyclonus, who seemed to be so ecstatic over the fact that the Decepticon leader had been revived that he didn't notice anything odd in his behavior or was ignoring it if he did-showed that they knew something was off about the newly revived Decepticon leader. This let Howlback know she wasn't imagining things. Something about all this just wasn't _right._

She saw Ratbat perched upside-down on a partially fallen tree, and hurried over to him. He'd felt the wrongness surrounding the Decepticon leader, too, and was doing his best to stay far away from him as a result-in addition to the fact that his still-shaky standing with Cyclonus regarding his actions over the last two years was also causing him to avoid the revived mech, due to fear that Cyclonus had informed him of the whole thing, of course. No telling what Galvatron would do to him for additional punishment, if he had the chance. Howlback fully agreed with this course of action. She wanted the smaller Cassette nowhere near Galvatron right now; she wasn't going to let him get hurt again. She was still angry about what Cyclonus had done to him on Mars.

Though she still considered herself a Decepticon, she readily admitted that her loyalty to the faction's cause had been somewhat damaged when Cyclonus had attacked Ratbat. Ratbat had _not_ betrayed the Decepticons, whatever Cyclonus said. Staying with the Autobots had been the only way he could return to them, no harm had come to the Decepticons because of it. Cyclonus was an idiot for thinking otherwise. Attacking Ratbat had been completely unnecessary. She outwardly pretended she believed Ratbat had deserved it, and Ratbat played along with her, of course-it was safer that way.

And then Galvatron had returned, and…she had become even more uneasy about this whole business, about what the Decepticons were doing now.

Howlback knew that she needed to maintain her loyal attitude andfollow the orders of their leader, despite the fact that something about his new presence made her feel uneasy. She had been looking forward to this battle with the Autobots, and her chance at revenge for Soundwave's death, for far too long to do otherwise, anyway.

Still…she looked over her shoulder back in the direction of Cyclonus and Galvatron, once again feeling that sense of terrible wrongness as she looked at the Decepticon leader. Had the right decision been made, or would this result in the destruction of the Decepticons from the inside-out? Was staying with the Decepticons the right course of action-the _safest_ course of action-anymore?

Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>"No, we are not staying here."<p>

Cyclonus looked over at Galvatron in surprise. "But, my Lord, we have already unloaded the warship, and set up camp here. Would it not be better to-"

"I said _no_," Galvatron hissed. "This was merely a stop so that we could take stock of our resources. We are going to…where was it you said it was? Ah, yes, the insect state Ohio. We are going to the Autobot base."

"Lord Galvatron, are you sure that's wise?" Cyclonus asked, his surprise still evident in his voice. "I am not questioning your judgment, of course, but the fact remains that you have only just returned to us, and, even though our warship was cloaked when we re-entered the atmosphere of this planet, the Autobots no doubt picked it up. They must know by now that we have returned and will be ready for us."

"Exactly." Galvatron looked at Cyclonus, his red optics burning with anticipation. "I _want_ them to know we are here. It will be that much easier for us if they do. We will not have to draw them out this way."

Cyclonus nodded at the Decepticon leader's words, his surprise fading as he accepted the logic of Galvatron's plan. "I see. Yes, that is preferable than having to lure them out. We are to take the battle to the Autobot base, then?"

Galvatron laughed, the dark, cold amusement present in the sound similar enough to the laugh he had as Megatron, but different enough that it made Cyclonus feel slightly uneasy. Abruptly he stopped laughing and gave Cyclonus an incredulous look. "Battle? Who said anything about a _battle_ with the Autobots, Cyclonus? No, we are simply going to speak with them."

"My Lord?" Cyclonus asked, unable to prevent the confusion he felt from slipping into his voice, still feeling slightly uneasy at Galvatron's actions.

"I wish to speak with Optimus Prime," Galvatron explained. "You see, Cyclonus, my brother has something that I need, and I can only obtain it by speaking with him, with no pretense at battle. Oh, the battle _will_ come, make no mistake about that. But a certain…obstacle has to be dealt with first, and for that to happen, everything depends on a…what word is it the human insects use…ah, yes, a parley. What Optimus has that I need, unfortunately, is something that only he has the ability to use, so this must be handled carefully. No mistakes. We must convince Optimus and his Autobots, as well as their little pets, that we want an alliance."

"Difficult. I think they won't fall for it," Cyclonus replied thoughtfully. "I tried that, before your return. Optimus saw right through me. And, given what happened with Sentinel Prime betraying them, I can't see it working, if you'll forgive me for saying so, Lord Galvatron."

"Oh, I completely understand your concerns, Cyclonus." Galvatron turned and began to head toward the warship, Cyclonus following him. The Decepticon leader paused long enough to snap orders at a few other nearby Decepticons. "You, you, and you, get that loaded back onto the warship, now, then see to it that you get yourselves on board as well. You see, Cyclonus," He continued as the Decepticons hurried to carry out his orders, "I have something that I believe will convince Optimus otherwise. Something I know of first-hand. A shared enemy, as it were."

"A shared enemy…" Cyclonus paused. Suddenly, the implications behind Galvatron's words hit him and he looked at the Decepticon leader uneasily. If Galvatron meant what Cyclonus thought he did, this had the potential to go terribly wrong, with terrible consequences. "You mean, you intend to…"

"The defeat of Unicron! How can Optimus Prime say no to that?" Galvatron said in triumph. "And, if for some reason he doesn't agree…" He held up his right arm, admiring the plasma rifle affixed to it. "Well, I need to test out my new powers anyway. I will simply have to find a new way to deal with this without Optimus." He laughed again, and Cyclonus edged slightly back from him, giving the Decepticon leader an uneasy look as once again he abruptly fell silent, though this time he was clutching at his helm with one clawed hand as if his processor were hurting him.

"Unicron will soon learn that no one orders Galvatron around," Galvatron said intensely, dropping his hand. "No one." The last words were spoken in a barely audible growl.

Without waiting for Cyclonus to respond, Galvatron, apparently having lost interest in their conversation, turned and resumed making his way to the warship, causing the Second-in-Command to hurry after him.

"Lord Galvatron," Cyclonus began as he caught up to the Decepticon leader. "I don't mean to question the wisdom of your plan-"

"Then don't!" The larger mech snapped, turning around to face the other Decepticon menacingly, his red optics burning with intense fury as he loomed over his Second-in-Command. Cyclonus obediently fell silent, taking an unintentional step back, uneasiness once again flooding into his Spark full-force at Galvatron's actions. "Your loyalty has never been questionable, Cyclonus, unlike so many of the other fools who surround me. Do not make it so now."

Even though Cyclonus knew that Galvatron's plan could very well doom them all-not just the Decepticons, but the Autobots as well-if Unicron learned of it, he knew better than to anger his leader, especially with this new…personality he seemed to have acquired with his transformation into his new body and identity as Galvatron. He might not agree with the new plan, but he was loyal to Galvatron and would follow his orders. And, of course, he had risked something similar in trying to convince Unicron to revive Megatron in the first place. Cyclonus dismissed all doubts from his processor. This might be dangerous, but Galvatron would carry the Decepticons through to victory. He strongly believed that. "Understood, Lord Galvatron," Cyclonus replied smoothly. "It won't happen again."

"See to it that it doesn't," Galvatron growled. He swept a clawed hand around, gesturing at the Decepticon camp. "I want everything and everyone back on this ship immediately. We need to head to the Autobot base as soon as possible. We will arrive there and meet with the Autobots _today_. See to it that it happens." The Decepticon leader turned back around and entered the warship, leaving Cyclonus to oversee the reloading of the ship's cargo.

* * *

><p>Late in the afternoon, the rain had finally stopped-for the moment-but even the dim light that was managing to break through the still overcast sky failed to provide relief from the tense feelings shared by all those present at the NEST base.<p>

In light of what Sam had discovered, orders had been given for both the Autobots and human soldiers to be ready to depart the base in order to fight the Decepticons at a moment's notice. So far, there had been no signs of activity since the ship had disappeared from the monitors-no reports of Decepticon sightings, or attacks on human settlements-but no chances where being taken. The whole of NEST was ready to track the Decepticons down and fight them the moment they showed themselves.

The Autobots were pulling all their reserves together, as well.

"Computron, I want you to send a message to the Wreckers," Optimus Prime said to the smaller Autobot after the meeting-which had lasted a few hours due to its importance-had finally ended. "Tell them to make their way here, as fast as they can. I have a strong feeling that we will need them in this fight."

The little dragon-formed mech saluted with one of his wings. "Yes, sir. And, what about the humans stationed with the Wreckers?"

"They should come, as well. They are also needed."

Computron saluted again and flew out of the hangar to carry out his orders. The Autobot leader watched him go, then turned his attention to Red Alert, who was walking up to him and obviously agitated, followed by an equally anxious-looking Scattershot.

"Sir, I know in light of everything, it might not be the safest thing to do, but it will still help-do you want us to still carry out the training patrol I was going to do with Scattershot this afternoon?" Red Alert asked, fidgeting slightly in his agitation. "If we go and find anything we can come back and tell everyone immediately, and-"

Optimus held out a hand, silencing the other Autobot. "Yes, Red Alert. As you have said, the patrol will prove useful in this situation, if the Decepticons are nearby, even if it may not be safe." He paused, looking at Scattershot in concern. The Prime had not forgotten Salvo's threat that he would see to it that the orange-armored mech would be killed if he dared to come anywhere near the Decepticons again. "Especially for you, Scattershot."

"I'm not afraid, sir," Scattershot said, straightening up as he made an attempt to be brave, though the nervousness in his optics showed how anxious he really felt about the whole situation. "I know I'm still in real danger from the other Decepticons, especially since I'm not very good at fighting and after what…what Salvo said he'd do to me…but I want to help."

"All the same, it will be dangerous for you if you do run into the Decepticons." Optimus looked from Scattershot to Red Alert, considering. "Stay close together. Do not engage the Decepticons if you happen to run into them. Let us know immediately if you do, and come straight back here."

"We will, sir." Red Alert turned to Scattershot, motioning for the younger mech to follow him as he walked towards the hangar exit. "Come on, Scattershot. You've haven't been on a patrol yet, so this training patrol will help you out, let you know how normal patrols are done. So let me tell you what we usually look for on a normal patrol…"

Optimus watched them leave, hoping that if, by some chance, they did run into the Decepticons, both mechs would be able to get back to the base safely. The Prime felt a cloud of weariness around his Spark and processor. What had started out as yet another uneventful day had become one filled with tension and urgency. True, it was not as bad as when the Autobots had learned that the Decepticons were trying to revive Megatron. This time, they had been informed, had had time to prepare. Things would not get any easier from here, but at least this time, they knew what must be done. It was still a very stressful situation, however, especially considering the other threat they had to face once the Decepticons were dealt with.

_When all of this is over and done with, we will all need a vacation, as the humans say,_ The Autobot leader thought wearily.

He turned away from the entrance and made his way over to the Sparkling play area. There were still a few other matters that needed to be addressed before the evening ended, and, fortunately, those he needed to speak with concerning said matters were all near the play area-Sideswipe, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Wheelie, Brains, Sam, and Carly-having gone there to check up on the Sparklings once the meeting was over. Having taken their naps before the meeting began, the Sparklings had been full of renewed energy, and therefore had not been troubled by the serious nature of the meeting, having been too busy playing-thank Primus-and four of them were still playing, while Bumblebee had already picked up Blaster. Chromia and Arcee were there as well, and he nodded at them before turning to address the others.

"I know that, since the Decepticon attack on our base, we have taken extra precaution when it comes to protecting the Sparklings," Optimus began. "However, I now believe that, for the time being, it would be best for their play area to be relocated to a more secure room on the base, one further inside. An open hangar is not a safe place for them to be in the event of another Decepticon attack."

Sideswipe nodded in agreement. "And that way there won't be any risk of a Decepticon getting to them, if we are transporting them to another room, like what happened when…" The silver mech cut himself off, then continued in an undertone. "That was my fault, anyway."

"Sideswipe, we have already discussed this." Optimus's reprimand was gentle but firm. "What happened to Blaster was the fault of the Decepticons and no one else." The Prime returned his attention to the rest of those present. "In any case, this will serve to keep the Sparklings safe. I do not like the idea of restricting the Sparklings' freedom so much." His tone was full of regret. "But it is necessary to keep them safe. This way, no Decepticon will have the chance to take a Sparkling away from us again."

_Never again_, Bumblebee agreed vehemently, gently holding Blaster close to his Spark.

"We already have a room set up as a recharge area for them," Ratchet spoke up then, looking thoughtful as he considered what needed to be done. "It's located further inside the base, away from the main hangar. There's plenty of room in there for a temporary play area to be set up. It won't be as large as this one, of course, but it will be big enough."

"Then that is where it will be," Optimus agreed firmly. "Once the threat is over, they will be able to return to the main hangar. Until then, they will be in the recharge room whenever they are not with their caretakers. Also, they will continue to be watched by no less than two Autobots at a time when in the designated play area. I will tell someone to see to it that everything is moved into the new room once the Sparklings have gone to recharge for the night."

"Speaking of which…" Ratchet gestured in the direction of the medbay. "I need to go and make sure the medbay is Sparkling-proof before I get First Aid and Beachcomber to bed tonight. I went through the resources there today, so that I know what I have and what may be needed after a battle with the Decepticons, so it's a mess that really needs to be organized, and it will take a while to do. So…"

Optimus nodded, silently granting the medic's request to leave, before turning and lowering himself slightly to address Sam and Carly closer to their eye level.

"In light of current events, I believe it may be safer for you to remain on base for a short time, until we get a clear idea of what the Decepticons are doing. If they are watching the base, it is quite possible that they could track you to your home and attack you there. They may attack the base, but it is better defended now that it was during the last battle. Staying here for the time being will be safer for you." He looked over at Wheelie and Brains, then to Bumblebee, who was still holding Blaster protectively close and obviously listening to the Prime's words intently. The possibility of any of them coming to harm because they would be away from the protection of the Autobots as a whole was something the Prime would not allow to become a reality. He knew that Bumblebee was an excellent soldier, exceptionally brave and more than capable of defending himself and others, but even so, the young scout could not take on all of the Decepticons on his own if such an attack were to happen. "All of you."

Bumblebee was already nodding in agreement with Optimus's request, but it was Sam who spoke up first.

"Yeah, that makes sense. Great idea," Sam agreed, but then he turned to Carly, not wanting to make the decision to stay if she didn't agree with it. "Carly, are you okay with this? We're safe with Bumblebee, of course, but this way, things will be safer, at least, until we find out what the Decepticons are going to do. What do you think?"

Carly nodded slowly. "I don't like the idea of us being back home and then suddenly getting ambushed by Decepticons. Of course we'll stay." She looked up at Optimus. "Can we go home and pick up anything that we might need first?"

"We'll have to bring Buster with us, too," Sam added, before Optimus could reply. "Though I'm sure that won't be a problem, seeing as how some of the soldiers here occasionally bring _their_ pet dogs to the base."

"Of course you may return to your home to retrieve anything you may need," Optimus said. "I advise that you do so now, while it is still light outside. Bumblebee…" He turned to the younger Autobot, who had been looking at his human companions while they spoke but refocused on Optimus and straightened to attention at his leader's address. "I know I do not have to tell you to be careful in this. You know what needs to be done-keep on the lookout for Decepticons, and let us know if you run into any trouble. Get to your home, get what you need, and return here as quickly as you can. No need to run any unnecessary risks by staying gone longer than you absolutely have to."

_I'll be careful, sir._ _Sam and Carly are safe with me,_ Bumblebee replied, as Sam and Carly nodded in compliance with Optimus's request. Fierce determination flashed in the younger Autobot's optics. _I won't let anything hurt them._

"I'll come with you," Arcee said, stepping forward. Bumblebee looked at her, surprise at her words evident in his optics. Arcee obviously noticed that, as she quickly explained her offer further. "Two Autobots instead of one will help if something happens; it'll be safer this way."

Optimus knew Arcee was right. With Red Alert and Scattershot already off base, it was not practical for several Autobots to accompany Bumblebee and the Witwickys home, but having just one other go with them was something that could be done, and frankly, should. "Hopefully nothing _will_ happen. But you are right, Arcee. Go with them, and follow the same orders Bumblebee has been given."

"Yes, sir," Arcee replied.

_Thanks, Arcee,_ Bumblebee said gratefully, and the pink-armored femme smiled at him.

"I will see you when you return." Optimus nodded at the gathered Autobots, then turned and walked out of the main hangar. In light of all that had happened today, he needed time to reflect on the day's events on his own.

* * *

><p>After the Autobot leader had left, Arcee turned to Bumblebee, Sam, and Carly. "I'm ready to go whenever you are."<p>

"We can leave now," Carly said. "We probably should, if we want to get home and back while it's still daytime."

"Yeah, we're ready now," Sam added.

Bumblebee chirped in agreement. He was grateful for Optimus's suggestion that his family should stay on the base for a while. While he'd been bothered knowing the Decepticons were out there, after the first base attack, it hadn't seemed like staying off the Autobot base was too dangerous, at least, not until what the Decepticons had been planning had been discovered and now, when the Decepticons had returned and their location was unknown. Especially since Cyclonus had made it very clear that the Decepticons would attack the Autobots and their allies upon their return. A battle was pretty much guaranteed now, and who knew where the Decepticons would strike first? Better to be safe than sorry-staying at the base for now was the best choice for them at the moment. Like Optimus had said, it was true that the Decepticons could attack the base, but it was also far better defended from attack now than their home was.

Arcee folded down into her vehicle mode as Bumblebee turned and handed Blaster to Chromia-if there was a risk they could run into the Decepticons on their visit to the house, he didn't want Blaster to be there; he would be much safer staying in the base while they went. The Sparkling whimpered faintly in protest as Bumblebee began to move away, reaching out for his caretaker with one hand. Bumblebee gave a reassuring chirp, briefly touching Blaster's head with one finger, and the tiny Sparkling immediately quieted down, letting out a soft click as he snuggled back against Chromia's armor with his left thumb in his mouth. Seeing that Blaster was more or less settled for the time being, Bumblebee looked at Chromia, a silent request in his optics.

"He'll be alright, Bumblebee," Chromia reassured the scout, smiling at Blaster before looking back up at Bumblebee. "You know I'll take good care of him."

Bumblebee felt a little silly at worrying so much. _Of course Blaster's safe with Chromia. She helped raise me, she knows how to look after a Sparkling. _Slightly embarrassed at his unnecessary worry, the younger Autobot gave Chromia the closest to a thankful smile he could, then turned away, shifting down into his own vehicle mode, opening the doors for Sam and Carly as soon as his Transform sequence was complete. The young scout was eager to go home, get what they needed, and return to the base as quickly as possible-no way was he going to take a chance that his family would get hurt if they took too long. Carly got in right away, but Sam paused, one hand on the driver's side door as he looked back towards Wheelie and Brains.

"Are you guys coming?" He asked.

"Nah," said Wheelie. "Anything we need, we already got here-just Energon, really. Don't need anything else."

_You sure?_ Bumblebee questioned.

"Sure, we're sure," Brains replied quickly. "Besides, technically, we're still scheduled to be helping Computron and Prowl out with both Teletraan-I and overseeing the security systems in a little bit, and I don't think they'd like it if we skipped out, especially since the Decepticons might show themselves at any minute, which would definitely _not_ be good."

"Yeah, you're right." Sam shrugged. "Okay, then. You sure you don't want anything?"

"We're good," Wheelie insisted.

_Let me know if you change your minds,_ Bumblebee told the smaller mechs, closing his door after Sam got in. _I'll make sure to get it if you decide you do want something from home._

"Sure thing, Bumblebee."

Bumblebee backed up and drove out of the hangar, Arcee following him with her holoform driver activated, mentally making a list of what he might need to get from home. _Some extra Energon, the datapad with that human book on it I've been reading, Blaster's blanket and some of his toys, an extra bottle or two…_ He overheard Sam and Carly also discussing what they needed to get from home as he drove.

He briefly noticed Optimus Prime standing off to one side of the main hangar, but turned his attention to Arcee as she drove up alongside him. He was glad she was coming along, not only because it would be safer for all of them, as she had said, but because they were friends and it was nice to be able to go on missions together again-even though this _technically_ wasn't a mission. Once again he felt gratitude at the fact that she was alive and back with the Autobots, as well as that faint hint of shyness he always felt when he was around her. He wished he could tell Arcee how much he liked her, but he knew couldn't. He wasn't brave enough. Funny-he was a soldier, and he _was_ brave enough to fight on the battlefield against enemies bigger and stronger than he was, yet somehow he couldn't pluck up the courage to tell Arcee how he felt about her.

_That's a different kind of bravery, Bee,_ Sam had told him once.

_It sure is,_ Bumblebee thought. _And, maybe once this is all over, I'll be able to find it._

* * *

><p>Solitude was not hard to come by on the Air Force base, if one knew where to look. Of course, most of the NEST soldiers-humans and Autobots-were currently inside the connected hangars that made up the bulk of the NEST portion of the base, which meant that, right now, Optimus Prime could stand outside and be left alone with his thoughts.<p>

Which was precisely what the Autobot leader needed at the moment.

The coming battle itself was not the reason for Optimus's troubled thoughts. They were ready to face the Decepticons this time; they had not been taken by surprise. They all knew what was coming and now, after three weeks of training and careful observation, they were fully prepared for it.

No, what Optimus was really concerned and troubled about was how the Decepticons had returned. Their return to Earth had been quiet, stealthy. They had used what cloaking technology was available to them to partly hid their return and completely conceal their landing point on the planet. It was a stark contrast to the normal Decepticon method when the odds were in their favor-an all-out attack, landing with no regard to the human settlements. That was what had happened in Mission City, in Egypt, and in Chicago. After the last confrontation with them, after what Cyclonus had claimed, it had seemed they intended to return in full-force and destroy everything that stood in their way. Instead, they had taken care their return had attracted as little attention as possible.

The question was…why?

With Megatron revived, were the Decepticons adopting yet another new tactic for how they would fight?

_It is possible that they are trying to lure us into letting our guard down again,_ Optimus thought. He had thought Megatron would want to confront them right away, but perhaps he was wrong. _If that is the case, they are hoping that longer they go without attacking us, the more we will lose focus, and they plan to attack us as soon as it happens. Well, if that is what they are trying to accomplish, they will be disappointed._

He would see to it that they would not lose focus. They would stay prepared for an attack at any time. Optimus knew that the others, human and Autobot alike, would willingly do so. They could not, would not chance otherwise. Too much was at stake for them to fail. He thought of Trailbreaker, then the other Sparklings, the other Autobots, their human friends, the entire planet that had become their shared home.

No, they could not fail.

The sound of approaching Cybertronian footsteps brought the Autobot leader out of his troubled musings. He turned to see Firestorm approaching him; the old Seeker was apparently deep in thought himself, looking down as he walked. He didn't seem to even notice the presence of the Prime until he looked up. Seeing Optimus alone, he hesitated, coming to a stop a small distance away.

Although he had come out here for some solitude, Optimus was not about to send the old Seeker away. He looked as troubled as the Prime himself felt, and Optimus was not blind to the fact that Firestorm had been distracted nearly the entire day. Perhaps they could work out their troubles together. He motioned for Firestorm to join him, and the former Decepticon did so.

"I did not mean to disturb you, Optimus Prime," Firestorm apologized.

"That is all right, Firestorm," Optimus reassured the older Cybertronian. "I can tell that you have as much on your processor as I have on mine."

It was an invitation to share, but Firestorm still hesitated. "I do not want to bother you with this…"

Optimus turned to face the former Decepticon. "It will not bother me," He said firmly, but gently. "With the upcoming battle, we need to clear our minds of doubt-I am trying to do the same myself. What is bothering you?"

"Sideswipe and I had a…confrontation…this morning," Firestorm admitted quietly. "Just before the two of you went on patrol. He is still so hostile towards me, and I asked him why."

"Did he tell you?" Optimus had noticed Sideswipe's continued hostility towards Firestorm himself, of course, but he had not been able to learn the reason why it was so. Had Firestorm managed to learn the reason?

"Yes, he did. He…he still believes I am untrustworthy and that I will betray the Autobots. He compared me-my actions, what I am saying- to Sentinel Prime, to what he did, what he claimed."

Optimus's optics widened slightly in shock, then narrowed in disapproval. He had known Sideswipe was suspicious, but for the silver mech to openly accuse Firestorm of planning to commit a betrayal on the same level of Sentinel Prime's? That was completely uncalled for, trust or no trust. "That is-"

"I do not fault him for being suspicious, Optimus Prime," Firestorm interjected. His voice was sad but sympathetic at the same time, causing Optimus to regard him with surprise. "After what he told me, I can understand why, now that I have taken the time to consider his words. Yes, his accusations hurt, but I understand. He has seen coincidental similarities between my story and what Sentinel Prime did, and he has also, for some reason, connected his anger, pain, and sorrow for what Sentinel Prime did to Ironhide to me as well. It may not be right, but he is only doing it because he does not want anything like that to happen ever again."

Optimus nodded reluctantly. He knew that was true. "Sideswipe always has had a hard time with forgiveness. It is out of concern for others that he does not forget the wrongs that have been done to himself or those he cares about. Sometimes it causes him to…act aggressively."

"As I said, I do not fault him for his suspicions. Not after what happened. And I now know that his intentions are true, even though it hurts to know that he-that any Autobot-hates me. After what I have done as a Decepticon, though, I cannot blame him."

"I do not believe he actually hates you," Optimus said thoughtfully. "He might not like you, and he might not trust you. But I truly do not think he hates you. As you said, he has connected you, for some reason, to what Sentinel did to Ironhide. He will need time to work through whatever made him do that. Once he has done so, however, I believe he will find that he does not hate you."

Firestorm opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden alert from his comm caused Optimus to hold up a hand, respectfully signaling for the old Seeker to wait. Further examination revealed it was Red Alert who was trying to contact him, and he quickly responded.

_Red Alert?_

There was no understandable answer, just a buzz of static and what seemed to be a garbled, panicked mess of words the Prime could not make out.

Optimus tried again, feeling concern rising at what he had just heard. _Red Alert, report. What have you found?_ This time there was no response whatsoever from the other end of the comm.

Firestorm sensed that something was not right, and he looked at the Autobot leader with concern of his own present on his faceplate. "What is it?"

"Something is wrong," Optimus said out loud, his voice grave. He turned to look in the direction of the gated entrance to the Air Force base. The concern he felt over what the failed message could mean was growing, turning into a strong worry. Had Red Alert and Scattershot run into the Decepticons? "Red Alert has tried to contact me, but he is not responding to my comms with him."

Firestorm quickly focused his attention on the base entrance as well. "Do you think that they might have…wait, is that them?"

Optimus had noticed what Firestorm had only a scant few seconds before the Seeker had pointed them out. Two vehicles, going so fast along the road that the distance between them and the hangars was shrinking rapidly, had come into view. As they sped closer, they were easily recognizable as Red Alert's Chevy Cruze alternate mode and the old, battered orange car that was Scattershot's.

"Look how fast they are going!" Firestorm exclaimed. "What has-"

The alternate forms of the other two mechs finally reached them; Scattershot sped right by them, disappearing into the main hangar, as Red Alert quickly shifted back into his Robot mode, coming to a stop right in front of Optimus and Firestorm. The red-armored mech didn't wait for their questions, and began waving his arms frantically at them the moment his Transformation sequence was complete.

"Get everyone together! We need to be ready to fight, _now!_" Red Alert was practically shrieking in his panic. "There's no time to lose!"

"Calm down, Red Alert," Optimus reprimanded firmly, laying a hand on the smaller mech's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "What happened?"

"We were on our patrol," Red Alert said, still highly agitated but calming enough to speak evenly. "We were on our way back when I picked up something. It was coming from the area the Decepticons were last time-the abandoned factory. I knew it could be dangerous, but we needed to know if it was important, so I thought we might as well check it out, but when we got there, even though we were doing our best to be careful, we ran straight into the Decepticons."

"You are sure?" Optimus asked, the worry he had been feeling fading into the background as the calm resolve he utilized during situations such as this took its place.

Red Alert nodded anxiously. "Yes, sir. We saw Salvo and few others Scattershot recognized. Salvo saw us and we looked at each other for a moment before we turned and got out of there as fast as we could. He didn't follow us-none of the Decepticons did, actually."

"I wonder why," Firestorm said thoughtfully.

"Most likely because they had not been ordered to." Optimus looked at Firestorm briefly before focusing his attention back on Red Alert. "Did you see Megatron?"

"No, sir." Red Alert shook his head. "But I just _know_ he was there. I commed you but I was so stressed I couldn't get it together enough to make a reply. I tried, but…I'm sorry, sir."

Before Optimus could reply, Scattershot came back out of the main hangar in his Robot mode, accompanied by Prowl and Will Lennox. The younger mech had apparently felt that the situation called for the others to know about it and had gathered the Autobot Second-in-Command and the human Colonel, knowing they were needed. That was good; they should be involved in this-it was urgent news.

There was something he needed to do right now as well. Signalling for the others to wait, he activated his comm once again and contacted Bumblebee and Arcee. With the Decepticons now confirmed to be nearby, the two younger Autobots, as well as Sam and Carly, were in danger as long as they were off the base.

_Bumblebee, Arcee, are you still at the Witwicky home?_

_Yes, sir, we're still here,_ Bumblebee replied immediately. _We're almost finished, though._ _Is something wrong?_

_Red Alert and Scattershot ran into the Decepticons on their patrol,_ Optimus informed them gravely. _Return to base as quickly as possible. We do not know when or where they will strike._

_Understood,_ Arcee responded. _We'll hurry._

_We'll be back soon,_ Bumblebee added.

_Be careful,_ Optimus told the two younger Autobots, before cutting off his comm and returning his attention to those gathered around nearby.

"What do we do, sir?" Scattershot asked, looking up at Optimus. The former Decepticon was trying to be brave, but Optimus could tell, by seeing how wide his optics were and how tensely he was holding himself, that he was actually terrified. Coming face-to-face with Salvo and the other Decepticons again had obviously shaken him badly. The Prime felt a strong sense of sympathy for the orange-armored mech, as well as a slight feeling of being impressed by how he was trying to handle the situation.

"The entire base must be put on alert, as well as the town; if possible, the town should be evacuated," Optimus said resolutely. "The Decepticons have not made a move to attack us yet, so we will take advantage of that while we can. Unfortunately, it would not be a wise move to confront them in the area Red Alert and Scattershot found them it -it was difficult when we did it to rescue Blaster, even though we were successful then. We must also take into consideration that they have quite possibly moved to a new location, now that we once again know where they are. But we will remain on alert while we prepare to go after them, and if they make a move before then, we will leave immediately."

"So, we get what we need to fight the Decepticons ready," Will said. "But we need to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice, even if we aren't finished."

Optimus nodded at Will's assessment of the situation. "Yes, Colonel. That is exactly what we need to do."

"Only thing left to do now is to tell the others," Prowl said briskly. "And then see to it that everything is carried out as it needs to be."

"I'll help you with that," Red Alert offered. The red-armored mech still seemed anxious, but he had calmed down significantly once Prowl had arrived. The presence of his friend had apparently been enough to reassure the paranoid mech somewhat.

"We will all help," Optimus told them, as he headed back to the main hangar, the others falling into step alongside or behind him. All the troubling thoughts the Prime had had earlier were gone, replaced by a strong determination. It did not matter what the Decepticons' battle strategy was this time.

All that mattered now was that the Autobots and humans would rise to counter it when the time came.

Which, obviously, would happen very soon.

* * *

><p>Ratbat was watching a confrontation between Cyclonus and Salvo with a faint hint of nervousness. When the higher-ups among the Decepticons argued, it usually ended with blame being thrown onto the smaller soldiers, which led to them being painfully punished for something that was not their fault. A lifetime of experience, plus the fact that Soundwave was no longer there to intervene, let the small Cassette know that keeping his distance and staying close to Howlback was the safest course of action right now, so he remained perched on a rusty old pipe in the room of the abandoned factory that housed the Decepticons' supplies, watching and listening in relative safety.<p>

"You're certain there were only two Autobots, Salvo?" Cyclonus demanded.

The black-armored mech shrugged. "Well, there were two of them, yes. One was an Autobot, but the other one was the traitor Scattershot."

Ratbat's ears twitched with interest. He remembered Scattershot. Jumpy mech, slightly older than he was, no talent for battle and therefore one of the soldiers considered worthless by Megatron. So that explained why he hadn't seen him since he had returned to the Decepticons-he had gone over to the Autobots.

"Scattershot was here? And you let him _escape_?"

Salvo met the angry gaze of Decepticon Second-in-Command evenly, and Ratbat felt a hint of curiosity, as well as confusion for why Cyclonus was getting so angry about this. Why should Salvo have to apologize for this? Hadn't the Deceptions left a signal beacon up on purpose, so the Autobots could find them, and weren't Galvatron's orders _not_ to fight right now? Perhaps this was a test. Salvo had been right not to go after Scattershot, and Ratbat could tell that he knew it. The fact that he did not back down, continuing to defend his actions proved that. "They took me by surprise, and they bolted before I could stop them. Believe me, if they had hesitated just one second longer, and if our orders were different, I would have caught Scattershot and killed him."

"It's just as well Lord Galvatron's orders at the moment are not to attack the Autobots," Cyclonus finally said, the anger fading from his expression and voice. "It is a shame that a chance to kill a traitor has been passed up, but that can't be helped. And now the Autobots know where we are."

"Excellent! Things are going according to plan!" Galvatron's voice broke into the conversation, and both Decepticons turned to see their leader walking towards them. "The Autobots now know that we are here, which is_ precisely_ what I want."

Ratbat eyed the larger mech apprehensively as he stopped next to Cyclonus. Howlback had told him of the wrongness she felt surrounding the Decepticon leader, and Ratbat had known exactly what she was talking about. He had felt it, too. He had also noticed how unpredictable Galvatron had become-far more so than he had been as simply Megatron-and that had made him even more wary of him as a result. Fortunately, Galvatron seemed to be relatively like his old self, for the moment. Still, Ratbat was glad he wasn't near him right now.

"Lord Galvatron," Salvo asked, looking up at the Decepticon leader, "Now that the Autobots have seen us-and most likely told Optimus-what will our next step be?"

"We send someone to invite Optimus Prime to join us, of course," Galvatron replied. "Someone who can convince him that we simply want to talk-someone that already has a small amount of trust among them. And we just so happen to have a mech perfect for the job. Well, less than half a mech, anyway." He laughed, then abruptly whirled around and, looking directly at Ratbat, snarled, "Ratbat! Get over here now!"

Ratbat jumped in fright at the sudden address, falling to the floor. Howlback, who had been sitting near him, nudged him forward with a muttered "Go" and Ratbat fluttered over to the Decepticon leader. Despite her seemingly unconcerned words, he could feel Howlback's sudden anxiety over the situation through their Cassette bond, and it was only serving to fuel his own. He looked up at Galvatron, afraid. Was he about to be punished once again for what he had done?

"Yes, Lord Galvatron?" Ratbat asked, his voice shaking.

Galvatron leaned down, pinning the small bat-formed mech with a savage glare, and Ratbat flinched. "Cyclonus told me of your rather interesting two year adventure with the Autobots. I should kill you for your treachery, but I have a better use in mind for you."

Ratbat didn't say anything. He was too afraid to, and waited for Galvatron to continue.

"You are to go to the Autobot base," Galvatron growled at him. "You will tell Optimus Prime to meet me here, in one hour, so that we can discuss a truce."

"By myself? But…but…" Ratbat stammered, fear working its way into his Spark at the thought of going to the Autobot base on his own. "What if they don't even let me on the base?"

Galvatron suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the smaller Decepticon, and, holding him up to optic level, squeezed painfully with his clawed hand, digging into Ratbat's armor. Ratbat squeaked in pain and fear. Out of the corner of his optic, he could see Howlback leap to her feet with a growl, but quickly sent her a _'no, don't!'_ feeling over their bond. She didn't need to get involved and hurt herself. She froze at his silent cry, staying where she was, but she remained tense and watchful, and Ratbat could feel her anger and worry radiating over their bond.

"You _will_ find a way onto the Autobot base if you want to remain functional!" Galvatron hissed, tightening his grip on Ratbat, eliciting another cry of pain from the Cassette. "I understand the two Autobot femmes you traveled with have some degree of trust for you. I suggest you make use of that. Now go!"

He flung Ratbat savagely away, and the smaller mech hit the floor roughly before managing to get back up and into the air. He quickly winged his way out of the room and through the door leading outside-difficult, seeing as how the damage Cyclonus had inflicted on his left wing had permanently hampered his ability to fly. Fear was still coursing through his Spark, as well as a sense of dread and guilt at what he was about to do. He might be a Decepticon, but he owed his life to Arcee and Chromia. He didn't want to help in a plan that would hurt them, or use them to do want Galvatron wanted.

Maybe…maybe, he could at least warn them of how unstable Galvatron was. He owed them at least that much, and besides, the Autobots would see it for themselves when they arrived at the truce meeting, so what did it matter if he told them about it? They would probably question him about things if he managed to get onto the base, anyway.

He struggled to gain more altitude. Even with his decision to issue what little warning he could, he still felt sick at what the part he was playing in all this.

But he didn't have a choice.

The scratches he now bore on his armor from his encounter with Galvatron proved that.

* * *

><p>After Bumblebee, Arcee, and the Witwickys had returned, preparations for the upcoming battle began in earnest. Arcee, Sunstreaker, Mirage, and Diesel, as well as a number of the human soldiers, had been set as extra guards watching over the entrances and exits to the base. The Energon detectors surrounding the outer perimeter of the base were set to their farthest range, so that any unrecognized signature in the vicinity would be spotted quickly. Nearby, in the town of Dayton and in the nearest human dwellings outside the city, the authorities had been put on alert. Businesses closed down and employees were sent home; those who lived nearby in the town were advised by the human authorities to take what they needed from their homes and leave the city, while those who did not made an effort to put as much distance between Dayton and themselves as possible. A full-scale evacuation of the city had seemed like it would be difficult, but as there was no telling where and when the Decepticons would strike first, it had been deemed necessary. Fortunately, no one resisted the evacuation of the city; the fact that they all knew what had happened in Chicago was more than enough to convince them to leave.<p>

The interior of the main hangar had quickly been transformed from a meeting place to a war room. The military vehicles the humans would be using were now lined up in the center of the hangar, while both Autobots and humans went through their weapons, taking stock of what they had, deciding what to use, checking to see if they were in perfect working order. The Sparkling play area had been packed up and moved into the room that served as a recharge area, and all five of the Sparklings were now safely inside said room, where the sights and sounds of weaponry and battle equipment could not reach them. Currently Chromia and Silverbolt were watching them, but another guardian would be selected to take Silverbolt's place before anyone departed the base.

The bustle taking place in the main hangar had been more than enough to make Diesel volunteer for outside guard duty, though that was due to the fact he was still adjusting to being around others, not because he didn't want to help prepare for battle. He wanted to help-but, seeing as how his technical know-how was more based around ships than Cybertronian weaponry (he was most comfortable in that department, and as a result he fully intended to take up Sideswipe's suggestion of joining the Wreckers once everything was over) and the fact that guards were needed to hold off any Decepticon attack if necessary, he had not hesitated to sign up for it.

He found himself stationed at the gate at the end of the road that led to the main hangar, alongside a human soldier he'd worked with before named Graham. While Diesel had been working alongside the humans long enough now to be on friendly terms with all of those who worked on the NEST base, Graham in particular had become a good friend. He guessed it was because they had similar personalities-they were both normally quiet but did not hesitate to voice their opinion or fight if the situation called for it. They worked well together and it only made sense for them to share this assignment.

As it was, they said nothing to each other as they kept a close watch on their surroundings-looking beyond the gate, constantly checking the Energon detectors, that sort of thing. There was no need to talk at the moment; all their attention had to be focused on their current task. Diesel and Graham both knew what needed to be done and did it without hesitation. So far, nothing had turned up-no Decepticons were showing themselves yet.

_They know __**we**__ know that they're here,_ Diesel thought. _What are they waiting for?_

After another half an hour with no alarms or 'Con sightings, Diesel was growing more concerned. Something had to be up- the absence of the Decepticons was too good to be true. That thought had just crossed his processor when he noticed the blip on his scanners, carrying an all-too-familiar faction ID. He knew what it was even before the Energon detector near them began to go off.

"Decepticons!" The gray-green armored mech announced, pulling his plasma rifle from its holster on his back, holding it at the ready. He quickly accessed his comms and sent an alert to all the Autobots present on base-it looked like the fight was coming to them, after all. "I don't see them, but they're definitely coming!" Graham ran over to check the Energon detector as it continued to wail its alarm.

"It's only picking up one Energon signature," the soldier said, confusion evident in his voice as he looked over the readout on the detector. He glanced up at Diesel, and the Autobot could see the confusion he had heard present in the human's voice in his eyes as well. "Only one, and it's not very large. It's actually quite small."

Diesel came over, lowering himself a little bit so that he could take a look at the readouts himself, lowering his plasma rifle slightly but keeping it ready to use at a moment's notice. He noticed Arcee and some of the other human soldiers approaching in the distance-they had been stationed relatively close by and were coming to see what was happening-but didn't pay attention to them yet. He needed to see what was actually coming to the base. He trusted what Graham had said, of course, but he wanted to see it for himself, and he looked over the readouts thoughtfully.

The Energon signal was, as Graham had said, a small one, and it was alone. "Yes, there's only one," He said with a nod. "It's too small to belong to Megatron, or any of the others that hold the most importance in the Decepticon ranks, though. It's also moving erratically-maybe through the air, or possibly injured?" He glanced up, looking past the gate, at the road beyond it, narrowing his optics as he tried to get a visual of the Decepticon that was approaching the base. He was quickly rewarded by the sight of a small purple form flying in a careening, unsteady zigzag pattern as it came nearer to the base. As it got even closer, he recognized who it was, and stood up quickly.

"It's Ratbat!" He exclaimed in surprise.

* * *

><p>Arcee heard Diesel's exclamation-<em>Ratbat? Why would he come here by himself?-<em>and hurried forward, just in time to see the familiar purple form of Ratbat tumble to the road just inside the gate, landing in a puddle of rainwater. The human soldiers drew their weapons, and Diesel once again raised his plasma rifle. In seconds, nearly all those present who had weapons were all pointing them at Ratbat, who remained trembling on the ground. Seeing all the weapons pointed at him, the little Decepticon gave a terrified squeak and covered his head with his wings.

"No! Don't fire! I just want to talk, I just want to talk! Please!"

"Why should we believe you, Ratbat?" Diesel asked, not firing his weapon but not lowering it either.

Arcee, however, had not activated her own plasma rifle. Having spent two years in the company of Ratbat, she had come to know him relatively well, and she knew that, while he was capable of pulling espionage and surveillance tricks, out here, he was not a threat that warranted having so many weapons pointed at him. Ratbat might be a Decepticon, but he was not particularly dangerous. She also knew that Ratbat was timid and could also tell when he was genuinely afraid. She turned around and glared at the others.

"Do you really think it's necessary to point all of your weapons at him? Look at him! He's not a threat to us here. And if he wants to talk, maybe we should listen to what he has to say-it might be useful. Put them away."

Diesel and the humans hesitated, apparently not sure if it was a good idea to put their weapons away, and it was all Arcee could do to prevent herself from rolling her optics. _Mechs!_ _The same in every species. Looks like it's up to me. _ She vented in exasperation, turning her back on the others as she knelt down to be closer to Ratbat's level. "Ratbat, calm down. It's okay. No one's going to fire on you. Why are you here?"

Ratbat finally uncovered his head and looked up at her, nervous gratitude at the fact she had defended him present in his expression. "I have a message for Optimus Prime, from Lord Galvatron."

At the unfamiliar name, Diesel and the human soldiers looked at each other in confusion, and Arcee frowned. "'Lord Galvatron'?"

"Megatron," Ratbat supplied quickly. He looked uneasy. "He rejected his old designation in favor of a new one when…when he returned. He…he's…different. Unpredictable. More violent." The small Decepticon's next word was spoken so quietly that Arcee wasn't sure she heard it correctly. "Wrong."

She blinked, trying to figure out what the small Decepticon meant by that, when she noticed several recent scratches on Ratbat's armor-deep enough to be painful but shallow enough that no Energon was leaking from them-as well as a rough, obviously still-healing scar slicing through the metal of his left wing in such a way that she knew permanent damage had been done. _That explains why he was flying so erratically. His wing's been damaged since I last saw him. _Suddenly, she realized what Ratbat's words could mean and she felt uneasiness stab in her Spark. She held a hand out to the scratches on the small mech's armor, and Ratbat flinched away from her. "Ratbat, did he do this to you?"

Ratbat looked down. He was still shaking, though Arcee couldn't tell if it was from fear of those surrounding him or of who had caused his injuries. His actions once again struck her as being exceedingly Youngling-like. "I was afraid to come here on my own. He didn't like it when I said so."

Diesel knelt next to them, and Arcee was satisfied to see that he had finally put his rifle away. Ratbat's last words had apparently convinced him at last that the Cassette truly was not a threat to them right now. "Ratbat, you're saying that…" He hesitated, then continued. "You have a message for Optimus? And that's it?"

Ratbat nodded. "Yes. I know you have no reason to believe me, but…that's all I'm here for. My orders are to deliver Lord Galvatron's message to Optimus Prime and then go back to the others."

"We won't let you out of our sight while you're here," Diesel warned, and the nearby human soldiers nodded in agreement with the gray-green Autobot's words. "You show any sign of being a threat and we won't hesitate take you out."

"I know," Ratbat said meekly, ducking his head in acceptance.

Arcee held out her hand, and Ratbat hesitated for a moment before hopping up to perch on it. "Come on, Ratbat. We'll take you to Optimus."

* * *

><p>Bumblebee was helping Sideswipe go through some of the Autobot weapons that had been set aside for use by those who wanted to have an extra weapon or two at their disposal during the fight. The young Scout wasn't interested in the weapons himself-the plasma cannon he had integrated into his right arm was good enough for him-but Sideswipe was, trying to find a suitable weapon that he could use alongside his arm blades. With Blaster safe under the protective watch of Chromia and Silverbolt, as well as Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains attending to their own tasks around the hangar, and being prepared for the battle himself as much as he could be, Bumblebee had volunteered to help his friend sort through the weapons, even though Sideswipe actually didn't need it. The silver mech knew his way around weapons, thanks to the fact that Ironhide had been his mentor; in fact, Sideswipe was the closest thing the Autobots had to a Weapons Specialist at the moment, even though the mech wasn't really interested in taking the job.<p>

While helping, Bumblebee noticed that his older friend seemed to be brooding over something. It didn't seem to be about the Decepticons, though, and Bumblebee could tell that Sideswipe didn't want to talk about it, whatever it was, so he didn't ask. But he _did_ notice that the silver mech kept looking over in Firestorm's direction with a mixture of hostility and confusion in his expression. Still, Sideswipe held his silence about whatever was bothering him, and Bumblebee didn't pry.

_How about this one?_ Bumblebee asked, holding up a small, plasma gun that only needed to be held in one hand. _It's like the ones you used back in DC, isn't it? You said you liked those._

"Let me see." Sideswipe took the rifle from Bumblebee, and looked over it appraisingly, turning it over in his hands as he thoroughly examined it. "Yeah, it is like those. Single-handed, somewhat short range, but powerful enough that the range being less doesn't matter. I think it'll work, but I should pick up another one, just in case. I don't want to run any risk of not having what I need to knock the Decepticons down and out."

Bumblebee was about to say that he didn't want to run that risk either, but the sound of two Autobots and several humans entering the hangar, accompanied by Red Alert's cry of "You brought him in here? Are you _insane_?" caused him to look over in the direction of the hangar. The sight that met his optics caused him to temporarily fall into a surprised silence.

Red Alert was facing Arcee, Diesel, and a few of the humans who had been detailed to watch the entrances to the base. The red-armored mech was waving his hands at them and still exclaiming in panicked agitation about how dangerous what they had done was, and didn't they have any concept of the word security. It didn't take long for Bumblebee to spot the source of Red Alert's anxiety-the purple form of Ratbat, perched on one of Arcee's hands.

The young scout chirped in alarm, standing up quickly, his attention remaining focused on the small Decepticon. He'd never met Ratbat in battle, but he_ had_ had encounters with other members of Soundwave's Cassettes, and _they_ had all been dangerous. Sideswipe, too, had noticed what was going on and stood next to Bumblebee, the plasma gun he had taken from the younger Autobot now held up, ready to be used if necessary. By the sounds of weapons being drawn that were filling the hangar, all of the others were gearing up to strike down Ratbat if needed.

Bumblebee activated his own arm cannon, ready to fight as well. He took a quick glance over his shoulder to check that the members of his family in the hangar were safe and was relieved to see that Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains were still over at a computer terminal that had been set up nearby. Prowl and Computron were with them, so they were safe over there. But worry still surged through his Spark when he turned back to face those standing in front of the hangar entrance.

It was too dangerous to actually attempt to fight the Cassette at the moment. By being perched on the femme's hand, Ratbat was too close to Arcee to provide a clear target; if anyone fired, Arcee would most definitely get hit as well. Why had Arcee brought him inside the base? The young Autobot remembered that Ratbat had helped Arcee and Chromia while they had been missing, but did that kinship remain active now that he had returned to the Decepticons? Some degree of it must have, or Arcee wouldn't have done this. Bumblebee was sure of that, but he still felt on edge about the whole thing.

"Whoa, hold on!" Diesel exclaimed, holding up his hands in attempt to calm everyone down. "Ratbat isn't here to fight-he's here to deliver a message! Besides, he's already been warned about what will happen if he tries anything, and he'll be closely watched as long as he's here. No need to attack him; he hasn't done anything yet."

Before anyone could reply, a deep, commanding voice rang through the hangar, issuing a respectful but firm order to all those present. "Stand down. If Ratbat is truly here to deliver a message, it may be in our best interest to hear what he has to say, and I will not have him fired upon if he actually does not mean us any harm."

Heads of human and Autobot alike turned to see Optimus Prime making his way into the main hangar, walking towards the entrance where Arcee and Diesel still stood with Ratbat. At the sight of the Prime, the tension in the room evaporated, and the soldiers and Autobots all lowered or put their weapons away. Bumblebee relaxed, shifting his arm cannon away as well. Optimus's words had made the young Autobot feel significantly less concerned about Ratbat being inside the hangar. If Optimus was at ease with Ratbat's presence and didn't believe that the Decepticon was a threat, that was good enough for him. Now that he didn't feel on edge by this any longer, Bumblebee turned to look curiously at Ratbat, wondering what the little Decepticon's message was.

Optimus had stopped in front of Arcee, and lowered himself slightly to be more at Ratbat's optic level. "You have a message for us, Ratbat?"

Ratbat flinched at the Prime's close proximity, drawing back. "Y-yes," He stammered nervously. "Yes. I-I do have a message, for _you_." Optimus looked over him thoughtfully, and Ratbat let out a faint squeak of fear at the Prime's scrutiny.

"I will not hurt you, Ratbat." Optimus's gaze softened slightly, but his voice was still firm. "As long as you do not attempt to harm us, you have nothing to fear. Now, tell me, what is your message?"

Ratbat let out a tiny vent to gather himself, and he looked up at the Autobot leader as steadily as he could. Even from his distance from the main hangar entrance, Bumblebee could see that the small Decepticon was still trembling somewhat, but Optimus's assurance that he would not be harmed seemed to have calmed him down. Finally, Ratbat gave his head a little shake and spoke.

"Lord Galvatron sent me to tell you that he wishes to meet with you at the factory the Decepticons are based in, in one hour, to discuss a truce."

At the Cassette's words, murmurs of disbelief and confusion at the unfamiliar name Ratbat had spoken filled the hangar as the Autobots and humans-except for Arcee, Diesel, and the humans who had come with them when they had brought Ratbat inside-looked at each other. The truce suggestion was surprising enough, but the true source of the quiet discussions now taking place was the name. Bumblebee's antennae twitched in confusion. Who was Lord Galvatron?

Optimus frowned, obviously just as in the dark about the name as the rest of them were. "Lord Galvatron." It was not spoken as a question, but it was easily identifiable as one nevertheless.

"When Megatron returned…he rejected his designation. He started calling himself Lord Galvatron." Ratbat paused for a moment, then hurriedly went on. "He's not the same mech he was before. He looks similar, sounds the same, but he's not. He's changed-he's more unpredictable and violent now than he was before. If you go to the truce meeting, you'll see what I mean. Whatever Cyclonus did to revive him was _wrong_."

The Autobot leader considered Ratbat thoughtfully. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because even the Decepticons can see what's happened. It's not right-it's like the fabric of reality's been torn apart. Cyclonus ignores it, but everyone else sees it, we can all feel it, and we're afraid." He looked up at Optimus. "Optimus Prime, two of your Autobots, Arcee and Chromia, saved my life. I'm still a Decepticon, but I owe them. You deserve to know this, so you can be warned of what Galvatron will be like. It…it might help everyone." From the way Ratbat quickly fell silent after that, it was obvious that he had said more than he had meant to.

Everything was quiet in the main hangar for a few moments. Bumblebee looked from Ratbat to Optimus, feeling more than a little on edge. Megatron had been savage enough as it was. If a Unicron-revived Megatron-or Galvatron, apparently-made his own Decepticons terrified of him, in what sounded like a great deal more than the normal he's cruel so we fear him way he'd had before, what did that mean for the Autobots and their human allies? _Definitely nothing good,_ Bumblebee thought with a small shudder.

"You say that…Galvatron…wishes to meet with us to discuss a truce?" Optimus finally asked, looking back at Ratbat, an unreadable expression on his faceplate.

Ratbat nodded. "Yes, that's what he said." The Cassette was starting to look nervous again. "At the factory-you know it?"

"Yes." Optimus nodded. "We have been there before."

_The factory where they kept Blaster,_ Bumblebee realized, looking at Ratbat apprehensively. He remembered what Optimus had told him when he had come back from home with Arcee and his family, about why facing the Decepticons there was not something the Autobots and human soldiers could safely do. _This sounds like a setup to get us into a disadvantage._

"He says he will meet you there in one hour," Ratbat said after a moment's hesitation. He looked away. "That's all I had to tell you."

"Thank you for telling us all that you have. Tell Galvatron that we will be there." Optimus looked at Arcee and Diesel, ignoring the looks of surprise from all those present that his statement had earned him. "Please escort Ratbat off the base."

Arcee and Diesel looked at each other, but didn't argue as they turned and left the hangar, with the highly stressed-looking Ratbat still perched on Arcee's hand.

"It's a trap," Red Alert said as soon as Ratbat was gone.

"Undoubtedly," Optimus said in weary agreement.

"Then why did you agree to go?" Sideswipe demanded.

Optimus looked over at the silver-armored mech. "We shall have to face the Decepticons sooner or later, Sideswipe. This way, it will not be a surprise when they strike."

"Makes sense to me," Sam said from where he had remained next to Prowl, Computron and Carly during the entire discussion with Ratbat. "I mean, we're ready to fight them now, as ready as we can be, so why not do it?"

_But Galvatron is probably expecting us to come knowing it's a trap,_ Bumblebee said, looking up at Optimus worriedly. _And he probably has something planned that will take advantage of that somehow. They still outnumber us._

"Which is why only a handful of us will go to meet with him, Bumblebee," Optimus said firmly.

A storm of renewed protests came from human and Autobot alike at the Prime's statement, the loudest of which was Red Alert's frantic "You can't be serious, sir!" Before things could get too out hand, however, Optimus motioned for them to be silent.

"Let me explain," Optimus said calmly. "A handful of us-myself, a few other Autobots, and some of the human soldiers-shall go to actually meet with Galvatron. If, by some miracle, he truly wants to discuss a truce, it will be more to our advantage to have a small number of us present. Regardless, the rest of our forces will be nearby, out of range of the Decepticons, but close enough to assist those of us ahead if needed."

"So…so we're going to lull him into thinking we've fallen for his trick?" Red Alert asked hesitantly.

"Yes."

The security officer relaxed slightly, though it was obvious he was still on edge after what had just happened. "All right. That's a good plan. Still risky, though, but it should work."

_Do you think Ratbat was telling the truth about the Decepticons being afraid of Galvatron, and about how something's wrong with him?_ Bumblebee asked. Ratbat's words about the Decepticon leader were still bothering him, and even though there could be a chance the Decepticon was lying, it hadn't seemed like it, which was more than enough to make the young scout nervous about what the Autobots and NEST were about to do.

"He might have been, and he might have not. If he was telling the truth, we could use it to our advantage. If he was lying, I do not think it matters." Optimus looked deeply troubled. "I will not deny that having Unicron revive Megatron was something deeply unnatural that may have indeed resulted in what Ratbat described to us."

_Because Unicron is the Destroyer and he's not supposed to create,_ Bumblebee realized, remembering the legend Firestorm had told them, back when the old Seeker had first come out of Stasis-Lock. That seemed like it had been a lifetime ago. Had it really only been less than three months since everything had started?_ It makes sense that something he brought to life wouldn't be right_.

"So we need to be prepared for anything," Prowl said from his position next to the computer terminal. "If Galvatron really has been affected the Ratbat told us, there is no telling what will happen."

"Exactly." Optimus looked over them all. "Finish whatever preparations you have been making. In one hour, we will meet with the Decepticons. This will be dangerous, and the battle may end today. But regardless of what will happen, we will face it together." That said, he turned and headed out of the main hangar, undoubtedly going to inform those who had not been present of what had happened.

As the Autobots and humans in the hangar slowly resumed what they had been doing before the unexpected arrival of Ratbat, Bumblebee once again moved to help Sideswipe search through the Cybertronian arms, but his thoughts were anywhere but on the weapons in front of him.

From the silence that now filled the hangar in the place of the tense, but still somewhat light chatter that had been present before Ratbat had delivered his message, he wasn't the only one wondering what the next hour would bring, and whether or not they or those they cared about would all be around to see what would happen next.


	25. Incursion

**A/N: **_I apologize once again for the delay. Truth be told, I had originally planned to get this entire story done before Age of Extinction came out. Yeah, as you can see, that didn't happen._

_Yes, I have seen Age of Extinction, and yes, I did like it. I personally don't think it's as good as Dark of the Moon but it's still a great Transformers movie. And now that the fourth movie is out, I have something to say._

_No, Age of Extinction has no impact on this story. The events of the fourth move and the rumored Transformers 5and 6 do not happen in the timeline I have set for this story (well, maybe some of the events will happen but in a radically different way, we'll see). To simplify matters, just think of this story as what could have happened after the battle of Chicago is humanity had NOT turned on the Autobots._

_Fair warning, this is not a happy chapter you are about to read. We're approaching the last stand here and the battle with Unicron after that, so things are taking a turn away from the cheerful and heading into darker territory._

_You have been warned._

_Now, on to the story._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-Four-Incursion**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 16,208**

* * *

><p>FROM THE SAME TREELINE WHERE SIDESWIPE AND Computron had first planned how to best get inside the abandoned factory the Decepticons had claimed as a base, Optimus Prime stood, watching the silent building intently. Nearby, farther back in the trees, the Autobots and humans who had come with him stood hidden, quietly waiting for the Prime to make the first move. More clouds were rolling in, promising more rain. A faint sound of thunder rumbled in the sky, signalling the approach of yet another storm, as well as adding to the already ominous atmosphere.<p>

Once the Autobots and human soldiers had finished with their weapons check and had been more or less ready to head out, the members of the small party that would accompany Optimus directly to meet with the Decepticons had been chosen. It had been difficult, as they all had wanted to go, and not a single one of them had wanted to be in the second group-the stay out of sight group-when the danger would be focused on Optimus and those with him. In the end, Bumblebee, Mirage, and Sideswipe made up the group of Autobots accompanying the Prime that would shortly meet directly with the Decepticons. Alongside a group of humans lead by Will Lennox, they headed out first, having made their way to the factory for the supposed truce meeting. Meanwhile, Prowl was leading the others out a little ways behind Optimus's group, holding them off just out of sight until they were needed, at which point they would quickly join the fight. Silverbolt and Firestorm were providing air cover over both groups, which would no doubt be necessary if things took a turn for the worse; both flight-capable Cybertronians were circling far above in the sky, taking care to be out of sight as much as possible.

Of course, the base had not been left unattended to; there were those unable to fight who needed protection. Some of the Autobots had stayed behind to help the few human soldiers also remaining apart from the fight defend the rest of those still on base if anything went wrong at the meeting with the Decepticons-in addition to protecting the base, they were serving as a second group of reinforcements, if they were needed. Ratchet had volunteered to stay behind, alongside Red Alert, Chromia, Scattershot, Wheelie, Brains, and Computron. It was a small group, but Optimus believed that they would do just fine-Ratchet was a medic but a strong fighter, as was Red Alert, and, while she was still on restricted duty, Chromia was as well. Wheelie, Brains, and Computron were small, but used their wits to help out others in times of crisis. With those six, the human soldiers, and the defensive measures were had already in place, the base was well-protected, even without a full-force of Autobots and humans there to defend it.

Sam and Carly had also stayed behind, though it had taken a lot of pleading and persuasion on the part of both Bumblebee and Optimus to get them-especially Sam-to agree to do so. Sam had been adamant about going with the Autobots in order to help them, but eventually he had given in after the combined efforts of Bumblebee and the Autobot leader had shown him that staying on the base to help there and protect those left behind was every bit as important as actually going to meet the Decepticons.

During his thoughts, the Autobot leader continued to watch the old factory. What had once served as the main entrance to the abandoned building had been blown apart, making it more than wide enough to admit entrance to Cybertronians, as well as making it somewhat easy to see a little way inside, even though the interior was dark. However, there was nothing to be seen. Nothing moved near the factory, no one came out, no noises came from it, and all of the scans that had been run over their surroundings came up blank-even the portable Energon detectors they had brought with them were silent. By all accounts it appeared to be completely abandoned, but Optimus knew better. The air was thick with tension, and not all of it was coming from the Autobots and humans.

Optimus could sense that they were being watched. True, he saw no one, but he knew that they were there.

Finally, still without taking his optics off of the factory, Optimus straightened fully and motioned to those near him, in a silent command to follow him down to the factory. The outcome of this meeting with the Decepticons and the newly-named Galvatron would, once again, determine the fate of the planet and those who called it home-not only the humans, but the Autobots as well. It needed to be handled carefully, and Optimus had no intention of letting any further harm come to those he protected. Enough had been caused already.

The Prime dismissed all lingering doubts and worries from his processor. There was no place for any doubt in the coming confrontation.

It was time to meet his reborn brother face-to-face.

* * *

><p>Remaining on the base again as the others left to confront the Decepticons. Even though this was only the second time it had happened since the Decepticons had shown themselves again, it seemed like it was starting to become a normal occurrence.<p>

_Well,_ Ratchet mused as he pulled some medical equipment out of a nearby cabinet, _I did volunteer for it this time. And I would have the time before that, if Optimus hadn't asked me to do so first._

It actually made sense to the medic for him to stay behind; after all, of those Autobots remaining on base besides himself and Red Alert, there weren't any who would be truly able to fight. Chromia was still too weak to battle-though if it came to it Ratchet knew she would fight anyway- and Scattershot was not a fighter at all. Wheelie, Brains, and Computron were brave and could fight when pressed, but even together, there was little they would be able to do against a larger opponent. And the Sparklings, of course, were far too young to be able to defend themselves. Red Alert was a strong fighter, but two battle-able Autobots helping to defend the base was much better, and safer, than simply one.

And Ratchet was still the only fully-trained medic the Autobots currently had…well, on Earth, anyway. If something happened to him, he had pointed out more than once during the recent events as he treated the other Autobots' injuries, where would the others be? Well, yes, there were two other Autobots who would be somewhat of a help if any of the others got hurt-an Autobot and a former Decepticon, actually. Red Alert knew the basics, and Firestorm was trying to learn the entire field, but still, they weren't official medics. There _were_ other fully-trained Autobot medics out there, of course, but of those who had stayed behind on Cybertron-his Sparkmate Moonracer and older brother Rhinox among them-none of them had made it to Earth yet, if they were still alive. The only other medic on Earth besides Ratchet had been Jolt, who had been an apprentice medic but a medic regardless. But he…he was gone now.

Ratchet didn't like doing so, but he could fight and was skilled at it. However, he was a _medic_ first and foremost. He was meant to help, not harm, and that was what he needed to do now. His task during all of this was to stay behind and protect those still injured or otherwise unable to fight. If that meant he would end up having to fight anyway, then so be it.

At the moment, however, things were relatively peaceful on the base. The main hangar was currently empty, as all of its normal inhabitants had moved elsewhere. The Sparklings were all safely in the new play area, where Red Alert and Scattershot were keeping an optic on them. Computron, Wheelie, and Brains had shut themselves in the room with Teletraan-I, not only to protect the Autobot Network from any potential second attack but also to monitor the security around the base. Sam and Carly had checked on the Sparklings before going to one of the side hangars to help the human soldiers in any way that they could. As for Chromia, she was Ratchet's latest makeshift medbay assistant, helping him to prepare the medbay for any casualties they might receive if the meeting with Galvatron and the Decepticons turned out badly. All in all, things were relatively quiet. There was still some slight tension in the air, of course, but it was less now that Optimus and the others had left to meet with the Decepticons.

The relatively peaceful atmosphere, however, was allowing a conversation that, while he had known would come, still did not make it any easier for Ratchet to take part in. He looked at the medical supplies he had just set on his desk for a long moment before he finally answered the question he had been asked while getting said supplies out of the cabinet.

"Chromia, I know you're feeling better. Your health _has_ improved, but your Spark is still weak-you know that." He turned away from his desk to look evenly at the blue-armored femme, who was standing nearby with a look of stubborn resolve on her faceplate. "You aren't in any condition to fight."

"That doesn't change the fact that my skills as a warrior will be needed when the time comes," Chromia insisted. She looked back at the medic, refusing to back down. "I know that, and _you_ know that, Ratchet."

Ratchet vented, leaning back against his desk slightly, rubbing his forehelm, carefully considering how to phrase his next words. "Chromia, I'm not questioning your fighting skills-far from it. I know that you are a skilled fighter-one of the best." His voice softened. "Just as skilled as Ironhide was. We all know that."

At those words, a look of pained sadness flashed on Chromia's faceplate, and she looked down. Seeing that his words were finally getting through to her, the medic continued. "But your health depends on you taking it easy right now. I'm spending every free moment I have to try and find a way to help you, but if you go and strain your Spark beyond what it can handle now, it won't matter if I _can_ find a way to heal the damage that's been done. Please, Chromia, how do you think the others will feel if you push yourself too far from what your Spark can handle? Think of those who care about you, of those you care about. What about your family? Think of Arcee. Think of Bumblebee."

Chromia's head shot back up at that, and she narrowed her optics, the renewed determination visible in her expression and well as her clenched fists and tense frame temporarily taking Ratchet aback. "I _am_ thinking about them. I'm thinking of Arcee, and Bumblebee, and of all the little Sparklings."

Suddenly Ratchet understood. "I see. And when did you…"

"When I watched over them this morning." Chromia looked down at her clenched hands. "I saw them all playing together, with each other and with Bumblebee. They were so _happy_, Ratchet. They don't know anything about what it's like to be constantly fighting, or in a war, or what it feels like to lose the ones they love. I think Bumblebee even forgets about those things when he's with them. Primus knows he's been through things no one his age should have gone through, but when he was playing with the Sparklings it was as if he had never gone through any of it-he was just a normal Youngling. I felt like I could forget everything as well. I know what happened to Blaster, and even though he's recovered…it's something that can never happen again." She looked back up at Ratchet. "The little ones need a world they can grow up in, one where they can be safe and happy. How can I just stand back and not fight to protect them, how can I not fight to give them that world?"

Ratchet put a hand on Chromia's shoulder. "I understand, Chromia. Believe me, I understand."

And he did. As a medic, he'd seen so much suffering, so much pain and death as a result of the war. So many Sparklings and Younglings killed, while those few who had survived had been forced to grow up fast, becoming soldiers in order to survive. If there was a chance, any chance, that he could ensure that the Sparklings they had now would be able to grow up in a world without such horrible things, he would take it. He would fight if he had to, even though he was a medic. Yes, he would fight if it meant keeping the Sparklings from the war for the rest of their lives.

"If there turns out that there really isn't a way to heal my Spark, I would much rather go out fighting to protect those I care about than just sitting in the medbay waiting for it to happen on its own." Chromia looked at him, the determination in her optics as strong as ever. "Ratchet, I know the risks. But I _need_ to do this."

Ratchet looked evenly back at her for a long moment, before finally nodding once. He couldn't refuse Chromia's request now that he knew, and understood, her reasoning for it. He agreed with her, and even though he knew that she was still weak from her damaged Spark, he could tell that she would be able to fight when she was needed.

In the meantime, though, he would increase the amount of time he spent looking for a way to fix the damage to her Spark. Every little bit would help.

Before either Autobot could say anything else, a faint rumble, muffled through the walls of the medbay, echoed throughout the room, and the lights flickered briefly.

Chromia looked up at the lights. "What was that?"

"Thunder," Ratchet replied dismissively. "Sounds like another storm is coming in. Nothing to worry about."

* * *

><p>The small group of Autobots and humans stopped about ten feet from the factory entrance. Optimus looked over the building cautiously before turning his full attention back to the ruined main entrance. Even during their approach, no Decepticons had shown themselves, the building continuing to appear silent and empty.<p>

But, of course, appearances were deceiving.

Trusting his human allies and fellow Autobots to be prepared for whatever was about to happen, Optimus took one more step closer to the factory. Straightening to his full height, he looked directly into the darkness of the main entrance.

"I know that you are there, Galvatron." The Prime's voice took on the firm, commanding note he always utilized when facing with the Decepticon leader as he addressed those hidden inside the factory. "We are here. Come out."

An all-too familiar voice growled out in reply from the darkness of the factory.

"Making demands of the Decepticons already? It seems you haven't changed at all in the past year, dear little brother. While I, on the other hand…have changed significantly."

The speaker finally stepped out of the shadows, fully revealing the new mech that Megatron had become, and Optimus was suddenly hit with an impression of revulsion, alongside a sense of _wrongness_, so strong that he was barely able to prevent himself from recoiling physically. It took him a moment to pinpoint the source of those impressions as the Matrix of Leadership.

Even though in the old Cybertronian legends the Matrix had provided guidance to the Prime who carried it, Optimus rarely if ever felt such strong impressions from it. Usually the push from the Matrix was so faint he was barely aware of it, and only after looking back on his decisions later was he able to discern that the Matrix had been guiding him, and sometimes-more often than not, actually- the Matrix was silent, letting him make the choices himself. Optimus did not know why that was, but he had long-ago accepted that the Matrix would only guide when it deemed it necessary, and, it seemed, most of the time, it had decided it was not.

But this time, however, it was clear that the ancient artifact intended to warn him of what had been done, of what could happen as a result.

He suddenly remembered Ratbat's warning about the newly-revived Decepticon leader-that there was an aura around him that made it seem as if the fabric of reality was being torn apart. The impressions he was getting from the Matrix of Leadership proved that the little Decepticon had been speaking the truth.

_Primus, Cyclonus, what have you done?_ The Prime thought.

With that, Optimus silently acknowledged the Matrix's warning, and its powered faded slightly; though the strong sense of revulsion and wrongness was still there, it was now decreased enough that he could turn his full focus back to Galvatron. He knew he needed to access the Decepticon leader's new appearance, so that if the meeting did indeed turn out to be the trap it was suspected to be, he would know what he was dealing with.

He looked over his brother with wary thoughtfulness. Yes, the resemblance to Megatron was there. However, he was also vastly different. He was larger, with armor of varying shades of silver, gray, and dark purple. His right arm had a large, deadly-looking plasma rifle affixed to it, and while that was his only visible weapon, Optimus was still unsure of what Galvatron could do. There was no telling what powers Unicron had given him along with his new body.

In the time Optimus had been observing Galvatron, a few other Decepticons had come out of the factory to stand behind their leader, with Cyclonus actually coming up to stand closest to him. Salvo and Scourge also stepped forward, while Howlback leapt onto a nearby storage bin that had long ago rusted and fallen over, with Ratbat perched on her back, shooting a hate-filled glare at Bumblebee as she did so. The rest of the Decepticons, however, hung back, watching both their leader and the Autobots and humans with what appeared to be equal wariness.

Once the other Decepticons were in place, Galvatron looked over the group of Autobots and humans contemptuously before looking back to Optimus. "So many soldiers, Optimus. This is supposed to be a meeting to discuss a truce! Why have you brought so many fighters with you? Did you really think I wouldn't know about that group you have hiding farther behind you? Or those two up in the sky?"

"Did you honestly expect otherwise?" Optimus asked in an even tone of voice. "You have not exactly given us a reason to trust you in the past. You seem to have _your_ army with you, yourself."

A mocking laugh was his reply. It was a derisive sound that Optimus had heard countless times before, but there was something new in it now, something dark and unsettling that reinforced the impressions the Matrix was giving him.

Out of the corner of his optic, Optimus saw Sideswipe and Mirage exchange uneasy looks at Galvatron's laughter, and Bumblebee openly flinched, while Lennox and the human soldiers tightened their hold on their weapons as they tensely regarded the Decepticon leader. Optimus could even see some of the Decepticons cast terrified looks in Galvatron's direction, edging away from him slightly.

It seemed that he was not the only one detecting that change.

Abruptly Galvatron stopped laughing, briefly clutching his helm with one hand before lowering it as he spoke again. "Enough. We aren't here to threaten each other, Optimus. We have something far more important to discuss, you and I."

"What is it that you want, Galvatron?" Optimus demanded.

"What do I want?" The Decepticon leader spread his arms wide, an expression of mock civility present in his expression and voice. "Why, _I_ want to help you, of course, Optimus. Oh, I know that you may not find this easy to believe, but I am truly asking for a truce between us. For the time being, at least. Both of us, all Decepticons and Autobots, in fact, we have a shared enemy. I merely wish to assist you in destroying him."

It only took a moment for Optimus to realize just who it was Galvatron had to be talking about. There was only one being who could fit what Galvatron was saying at the moment. However, the fact that the Decepticon leader was talking about destroying him was making the Prime feel more uneasy, not less. "And why would you want to help us destroy him? He is the one who restored you to life."

"So, you _do_ know who I'm talking about. Well, that certainly saves me the trouble of having to explain things to you." Galvatron glanced sideways at the Autobot leader with a sneer, and Optimus immediately shifted into a defensive position, though Galvatron made no move to attack. "Why do I want him destroyed? He brought me to life, yes. But he also seems to think that gives him the right to give me commands. No, Galvatron takes commands from no one. Not even Unicron the Destroyer."

At Galvatron's words, nearly all the Deceptions looked at their leader in shock and fear, drawing even further back from him than they already were. Scourge, Salvo, Howlback, and, of course, Cyclonus, did not look surprised at what Galvatron had said, but for the rest of the Decepticons, the fact that Unicron had restored their leader was apparently news to them.

_They did not know,_ Optimus realized. _None of the so-called common soldiers amongst the Decepticons knew what it was Cyclonus did to revive Megatron._ And, going by their reactions, it was something that unsettled them greatly. The Autobot leader looked at the recoiling Decepticons, and was struck by how different they were from the Decepticon army the Autobots and humans had fought at the caves in Kentucky. Now, very few of them looked eager for battle; most of them seemed exhausted, beaten down, and afraid. He could only think of one reason why they were like this now.

_Wrong, wrong, wrong,_ the Matrix seemed to whisper, confirming his suspicion over the demoralized state of the majority of the Decepticon army. What Megatron had become was a threat to his own followers as well as to the Autobots and their allies.

"What I am offering you is a truce, Prime," Galvatron continued after a moment, apparently not noticing the sudden unease of his troops or Optimus's looking-over of them. "A genuine truce, for the time being, between Decepticons and Autobots, and yes, even with your little humans, I suppose, even though they won't be of any help in the fight to come. We work together to destroy Unicron, and once that is over and done with, we can then finally settle our petty feud."

"How do I know you will not turn on us before Unicron is removed from the picture?" Optimus demanded. He wished a truce could be achieved. But realistically, going by what he could see in Galvatron on his own, combined with the warnings the Matrix was still giving him, he knew it was not going to be as easy as that-not so long as Galvatron and those most loyal to him remained. "What guarantee do we have that you will honor this so-called truce while Unicron still lives?"

"At the moment? None whatsoever," Galvatron growled, all pretense at civility vanishing from his vocal tone and expression. "However, there are two things that you must do, in order for this truce to happen, that will also give you the guarantee that you seek."

"And what are those?" Optimus asked cautiously.

Galvatron pointed up into the overcast sky, in the direction where Silverbolt and Firestorm were flying just out of sight. When he began to speak, his voice once again had a deceptive civility in its tone. "First, I am aware of just how many former Decepticons you have added to your ranks-four, isn't it, by now? Yes, Firestorm, and the three worthless ones-Scattershot and those two drones. All defectors are to be handed over to me, immediately. They must pay the price for their treachery. And second…" The Decepticon leader raised his voice to be heard over the small outbursts of protest from the Autobots and humans, though Optimus remained silent. "Second, you have stolen _our _Sparklings. You think they are yours? No! They are Decepticon Sparklings, and must be returned to us. They are future soldiers for the Decepticon army, and we will take them back _now_."

"Like _Pit _you will!" Sideswipe practically snarled, activating his arm blades, bringing them up in a clear challenge. Beside him, Bumblebee made an inarticulate angry noise, clenching his fists as his battle mask slid into place. Mirage had activated his smaller arm blades as well, and the human soldiers had also brought their own weapons up. On the other side, the Decepticons tensed, ready to throw themselves into battle, activating their own weapons and bring them to bear against the Autobots and humans.

_Easy,_ Optimus reprimanded firmly over a comm with Sideswipe, Mirage, and Bumblebee, while motioning with one hand for the human soldiers to hold back. Internally, he knew how they felt, especially Sideswipe and Bumblebee. He had a Sparkling charge as well, and the very thought of Galvatron taking the Sparklings back just so that he could force them into becoming soldiers angered him just as strongly. He knew he would rather die than let Galvatron come near Trailbreaker or any of the other Sparklings. However, he needed to keep restraint for the time being. _Do not attack unless they do so first. We want to try to get out of this without a fight if at all possible._ As the three other Autobots and the human soldiers slowly, if somewhat reluctantly, came out of their defensive positions, Optimus returned his attention to Galvatron, his expression hardening.

"We cannot agree to those terms, Galvatron. You know this. You are foolish for even suggesting it. I know what you plan on doing to Firestorm and the others, and I will not allow it. As for the Sparklings…" Despite his best attempts, Optimus was unable to prevent the anger he felt from slipping into his voice. "They have _never_ been Decepticons. Your own forces, yourself included, left them to die, and in doing so, lost any claim you once had to them. _We_ rescued them. _We_ nursed them back to health. We are the ones who raised them, and cared for them during the past year. Not the Decepticons. We will not let you take them back into the same conditions that nearly offlined them in the first place."

"They are _mine_," Galvatron hissed.

"The Sparklings are not mere pieces of property to be bartered off. Nor are those who left the Decepticon ranks to join ours. They will _not_ be handed over. Not now nor any time in the future," Optimus said firmly.

"If you refuse to hand them over, there will be no truce," Galvatron warned, his optics narrowing dangerously.

"I think we both knew that there would be no truce before we even met today," Optimus responded.

Galvatron snarled and took a step forward, but stopped when Sideswipe, Mirage, and Bumblebee activated their weapons and aimed them at him, with the humans doing the same. He seemed to think better of whatever it was he had planned to do, taking a step backward as he glowered at Optimus, his red optics burning with a demented rage.

"Very well, then. No truce. You can face Unicron yourself," The Decepticon leader spat, his voice low and threatening. "That is, if you survive fighting me and my army. But there will be no battle today." He turned and walked back towards the factory. "Now go, before I change my mind and slaughter you all here."

Optimus activated one of his Energon blades, motioning for the humans and Autobots to retreat, signaling over his comm for Firestorm, Silverbolt, and Prowl's group to fall back as well. He held his position, protecting the others by keeping a wary optic on the Decepticons as his allies retreated. Once they were safely gone, he followed, making sure that he was well out of the Decepticons' range before turning his back to the factory. The other Autobots and humans were waiting for him a little ways ahead, and he internally went over the events of the meeting as he made his way towards them.

The meeting with the Decepticons had allowed him to see just what they were going to be dealing with in the future. Galvatron appeared to be mentally unstable, far more so than he had been when he had been simply Megatron. His erratic behavior had been enough to show that. Ratbat had been right-Megatron's resurrection at the hands of Unicron had resulted in the creation of something twisted and unnatural, something that upset the very balance of the universe. Even without the impressions of wrongness and revulsion the Matrix had given him, he had been able to see that.

Aside from that, the meeting had not yielded a truce, as he and the others had known and expected, but it did not seem to have been a trap, either.

Unless the trap had yet to be sprung.

"Keep a close watch on our surroundings," Optimus informed the others as he caught up to them. "I do not believe for one minute that Galvatron was sincere when he said there would be no battle today."

He looked back in the direction they had come from as Sideswipe, Mirage, Bumblebee, Prowl, and the others shifted back into their vehicle modes for the journey back to the base, opening their doors so the human soldiers could climb inside once the Transformations were done. Unable to shake the feeling that he had not seen the last of the Decepticons for that day, the Prime Transformed back into his truck mode, leading the way back to the base, though the whole time his sensors were on high alert.

Things were far from over, and he was not going to be taken by surprise.

* * *

><p>Galvatron watched as Optimus Prime disappeared amongst the trees. He growled in rage, partially because of the fact that the false truce he had tried to implement had failed, but mostly because he knew that Optimus was right. He truly had known that there would not be a truce, but the fact that his brother had so easily seen through his demands infuriated him. He paced back and forth in front of the factory entrance, muttering furiously to himself, ignoring the other Decepticons as they frantically scrambled to get out of his way. He needed Optimus in order to destroy Unicron, but the first attempt to buy his cooperation had failed. As that thought crossed his mind, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through his processor, causing him to cease his pacing and bring both clawed hands up to clutch his helm.<p>

This would not work. He needed to focus, though for some reason it was getting harder and harder for him to do so. It was almost as if his processor was constantly being pulled in two directions at once-one way for what _he_ wanted, and the other for something else he could not truly identify.

_Calm yourself,_ he thought fiercely, as the pain slowly faded, allowing him to think relatively clearly once again. _There is the backup plan._

As if on cue, the sound of jet engine roared above the factory, followed by the sound of shifting metal as Skyjack landed next to him.

Lowering his hands from his helm, Galvatron regarded the other Decepticon with cold optics. "Did you find an alternate route?"

"Yes, Lord Galvatron," Skyjack said with a nod. "If you leave soon, it will get you to the Autobot base before Optimus and his followers do, with time to spare, and it is one that if you follow, they will not be aware of you while you travel. I am sending the route path to you now."

"Did they see you?" The Decepticon leader demanded as he internally looked over the information Skyjack had sent him.

"No. The signal dampener I carry made them blind to my presence. And the one you have should protect you from being detected when you enter the base, though they will be keeping a close watch on the perimeter after our last attack."

"It is of no matter. I have a way to blind them before I enter. I made a rather interesting discovery of one of my new powers while we were waiting for Optimus to show himself." As he looked over the maps Skyjack had made, the sound of thunder clashed through the air and it began to rain. Galvatron allowed a grim smile of satisfaction. Skyjack had done his work well; this was just what he needed to turn the situation around to his favor rather quickly. This storm would also help provide the cover he needed to make his entrance completely unnoticed. He turned to Howlback, who was still perched on the rusted storage container with Ratbat on her back.

"Howlback?"

"Transmitting the layout of the Autobot base now," The blue-armored cassette replied evenly.

Now he had everything he needed. Directions and the layout of the Autobot base, complete with the precise location of just what it was it was after. Activating his navigation systems so that he would be able to follow the path exactly, Galvatron turned to face the other Decepticons, though he addressed the commands mainly to Cyclonus, who was standing close by.

"Decepticons, I am in need of a distraction. Follow the Autobots and their pets, and give them a little taste of what is to come in the days ahead. Deal enough damage to them that they will have to pause to care for their injuries before they return to their base-but no killing yet. Once you have done so, return here. Go now, and do not fail me!"

As the Decepticons hurriedly vacated the area-some Transforming and flying or driving away, while others simply ran in the direction the Autobots had gone, Galvatron shifted into his own alternate mode, lifting into the sky, turning and flying quickly in the direction Skyjack's alternate path to the Autobot base lay.

The direction that would lead him to obtaining to what he now knew would be the means of forcing Optimus to comply with his demands.

_You are too soft-Sparked, brother,_ Galvatron thought. _Did you think I wouldn't notice? You practically handed me the information I needed! This is why your compassion will be your undoing._

Yes, he knew what would give him the advantage now.

All he needed was control over the Sparklings, and Optimus would do whatever he wanted.

* * *

><p>The convoy had broken out of the trees, but hadn't yet made it back to the road when the warning flashed across his sensors, just moments before the missile slammed into the ground next to him, forcing Optimus to rapidly swerve to one side to avoid it. He Transformed quickly into his robot mode, the momentum he still had from his dodging of the attack causing him to slide back several feet though the mud before he finally came to a stop. He looked up, seeing the Decepticons rushing towards them, with Cyclonus in the lead-it had been the Second-in-Command who had fired at him. Activating his right Energon blade, he roared out orders, aware that even as he did so the other Autobots were discharging their human passengers and Transforming into their own robot modes, with Silverbolt and Firestorm plunging down from the sky to Transform and stand with them.<p>

"Autobots, fall into ranks! The Decepticons have followed us!"

Nearby, he could hear Will Lennox snapping out similar commands to the human soldiers as they ran to help their Autobot friends. Lightning flashed above and thunder rumbled in the sky, nearly drowning out the human's words along with the noise of the rain pouring down. The storm was going to make this fight far more dangerous than it would be otherwise; humans were not the only ones in danger from lightning-a direct strike on an Autobot could temporarily overload their circuits, briefly paralyzing them at the least or temporarily knocking them into stasis at the worst, something that would not help one bit in the fight. They would have to be careful, very careful.

The Decepticons were yelling battle cries as they rushed towards the Autobots and humans, who were standing firm as they waiting for them to get in range, a stark contrast to the wariness they had displayed during the truce meeting. However, the Prime thought that he could hear a hint of desperation in most of their voices, as if they were only fighting because they had no other choice.

However, that did not change the fact that they were attacking, thereby proving that Galvatron had indeed been lying when he had said that there would be no battle between the Autobots and Decepticons that day.

As soon as he came to that conclusion, Optimus realized something else about the Decepticons charging towards them, something that filled him with uneasiness as he looked over the enemy soldiers who were rapidly closing the distance between themselves and the NEST forces. Cyclonus was leading them-not Galvatron. Galvatron was nowhere in sight. Where was he? Was he going to ambush them while their attention was elsewhere?

Then the Decepticons were on them, and there was no time to find out.

* * *

><p>Red Alert held Blaster and First Aid, murmuring soothingly to them as they both clung tightly to his armor. The two Sparklings were the most easily spooked of the group-with First Aid being a bit more timid than Blaster, despite the fact that he was older-and as soon as the storm had started they had both darted to Red Alert, looking to him for comfort in the absence of their caretakers.<p>

Although he didn't like seeing Blaster and First Aid scared, the normally paranoid mech was grateful that he was being kept plenty busy watching the Sparklings by calming these two during the storm. It was keeping his processor at least somewhat off of what the other Autobots and their human companions were doing and of the danger they could possibly be in right at that moment.

They had been gone an awfully long time, though.

_They could have been attacked they could be hurt they could need help…_

_No, stop, stop,_ He reprimanded himself firmly. _Stop that._ _Optimus, Prowl, and the others will be fine. They will protect each other. They'll be fine. Focus on what you're doing now._

Another burst of thunder rumbled faintly though the room from outside, and the two Sparklings he was holding both let out faint whimpers at the noise, with First Aid actually hiding his face against the older Autobot's armor.

"Hey, hey, come on, you two. You're okay. It's just thunder. Just a sound. It can't hurt you. We're safe in here." The red-armored mech bounced them up and down slightly, and smiled in relief when this brought faint, if still somewhat nervous, giggles from both of them. "There you go. See, nothing to worry about." He looked up, over to where Scattershot was kneeling next to Trailbreaker, Beachcomber, and Fireflight as the former Decepticon helped them build what seemed to be a maze out of some toy blocks. Red Alert smiled ruefully. Scattershot's job was easier at the moment-at least the other three Sparklings weren't bothered by the noise of the storm.

The Security Officer watched with interest as Scattershot interacted with the Sparklings. He certainly was more at ease and confident around them, allowing the kind Spark he had to fully shine though.

He'd definitely changed from the nervous, quiet mech had had been when he had first arrived on the Autobot base. As he watched Scattershot, Red Alert couldn't help but feel pride in the younger mech he was mentoring, the mech who had become a good friend in such a short while.

"You have to find your way through," Scattershot was explaining to Trailbreaker, who seemed to be the most interested in the building of the maze-Beachcomber and Fireflight had turned their attention to some of the other nearby toys instead. The red and blue armored Sparkling watched intently as Scattershot took his stuffed toy bear and sat it down in the maze entrance. "You start here, right? Can you see where to go next?"

Trailbreaker looked over the blocks thoughtfully for a moment, then pointed to the right. "There, ber go there."

"That's right." Scattershot put the bear where Trailbreaker had indicated. "Think you can do the rest yourself?"

"Uh-huh." Trailbreaker nodded, reaching for his toy.

"Teaching him what you learned?" Red Alert asked. At the question, Scattershot jumped a little and looked nervous and embarrassed, almost as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Oh, um, yes, sir. Is that okay?" Scattershot began to hurriedly explain himself. "It's just that, I thought that while it's training for us, the Sparklings might see a maze as a game, and I thought that maybe…"

"No, it's fine. You're right, it _is_ a good game for Sparklings." Red Alert watched as Trailbreaker happily moved his toy bear through the maze Scattershot had made for him. "Good idea."

"Thank you, sir," Scattershot replied with a small smile.

Before Red Alert could reply, a sudden, rather loud crack of thunder made the walls vibrate. There was a faint popping sound, and the lights went out, plunging them into darkness.

In his arms, First Aid and Blaster began to cry, and he quickly began to comfort them again, holding them closer as he shushed them quietly. From over in Scattershot's direction, he could hear the other three Sparklings whimpering and Scattershot trying to soothe them as well.

"What happened?" The younger mech asked once the whimpers of his three charges had died down, the glow of his red optics looking in his mentor's direction.

"It's okay," Red Alert said in a tone that was far calmer than he normally had when he spoke. Funny how he could be completely calm when dealing with Sparklings as opposed to panicking like he usually did over anything stressful. "Just a power outage caused by the storm. Backup generators should be going on any minute now."

No sooner had the words left his mouth that there was another faint popping sound, but this time, the lights came back on, though they were slightly dimmer than usual.

"See?" Red Alert said, smiling down at First Aid and Blaster as he bounced them up and down again, feeling relieved as they giggled faintly through their sobs, which were slowly fading. "We're all okay here."

"We okay," Trailbreaker piped up in agreement from where he was standing next to Scattershot, Beachcomber, and Fireflight. "Dark gone."

"That's right," Scattershot agreed, sharing an amused look with Red Alert at the oldest Sparkling's innocent assessment of the situation.

_You all in one piece in there?_ Computron suddenly asked over the comm, temporarily pulling the attention of both mechs from the Sparklings to the smaller Autobot's words.

_Yeah, we're fine. The power outage scared the Sparklings for a bit, but they're fine now,_ Red Alert replied.

_Well, sit tight. That outage knocked out the security systems, and the long-distance comms for good measure. We'll get them back up soon, and it's really nothing to worry about, but it's better to be safe than sorry, with what Optimus and the others set out to do. Until both systems are back up, everyone needs to stay where they are, for safety measures, you know._

_Got it, Computron,_ the red-armored mech said. _Do Ratchet and the humans know what's going on?_

_I'm going to tell them right now. Don't worry, we'll get this fixed. Not a problem at all._ With that, the comm went silent as Computron no doubt contacted Ratchet and Chromia to tell them the same thing.

Scattershot frowned, faint nervousness creeping into his expression. "Shouldn't, um, shouldn't the security systems and communications be able to stay online even in a…a power outage, sir? Since there's a backup generator?"

"Depends on what caused the outage," Red Alert replied, shoving back his own anxiety over the fact that the base was now-however temporarily-blind to the outside world. "It _is_ storming. A lightning strike close enough to knock out the power _would_ be able to take the security systems out. Don't worry, though. Computron and the others will be able to fix this, no trouble."

"Oh, okay," Scattershot replied quietly, returning his attention to the Sparklings as Fireflight tugged on his hand, apparently wanting to show him something.

Red Alert looked back down at First Aid and Blaster, who finally seemed to have gotten over their fear of the storm, if their wriggling attempts to get down were any indication. He sat them both on the floor and watched as they made their way over to the other Sparklings, First Aid walking, Blaster crawling. Once they were safely with their friends, Red Alert looked up at the lights, then back at the door.

Despite what he had told Scattershot, he had a nagging feeling in the back of his processor that told him there was something wrong about the systems going offline, that it had nothing to do with the storm and that something more sinister was at work.

_Computron said it was nothing to worry about. It should be fine._

But he positioned himself closer to the door, placing himself between it and the Sparklings, just in case.

* * *

><p>From the air above the Autobot base, Galvatron watched as the lights both on and inside the many buildings and hangars came back on, as what was no doubt a backup generator worked to supply the power that had been cut off when the lightning had struck. However, there were two systems that would not come back online with the generators. He had seen to that.<p>

While he had been waiting for the Autobots to show themselves at the factory, Galvatron had been examining and testing out any new powers he had gained when Unicron had rebuilt his body. He had made quite an interesting discovery-he now had the ability to disrupt any type of communications systems-security included- by sending out an sonic energy pulse. It was not an uncommon ability amongst the Decepticons, but Galvatron hadn't been one of those with the power to do so.

_Correction,_ the Decepticon leader told himself, another stab of pain filtering through his processor before fading just as quickly as it had come. _Megatron never had that ability. I am __**Galvatron**__, and I do!_

That last lightning strike, the one that had caused the power outage, had been the perfect cover for him to disrupt the Autobots' communications and security. He had fired off the sonic pulse the moment he had seen the lights start to go out. It was perfect-the Autobots would believe the systems failure was due to the storm. They would not be aware that someone on the outside had done it on purpose.

A quick scan of the hangar that the base layout he carried confirmed to be the main one, which lead to the room he sought, showed that it was empty. The humans and Autobots still inside were elsewhere and would be unaware of his entrance.

Galvatron was pleased. Things were going remarkably well. The backup plan was turning out to be far more worthwhile than the false truce meeting had been.

With a flash of triumph, he angled himself down to come to a landing on the open lot in front of the main hangar, initiating his Transformation sequence as he did so. He landed in a crouched position, one hand on the blacktop beneath him as he looked up at the hangar in front of him. Straightening up, he strode purposefully towards the hangar entrance.

He examined the door and let out a snort of contempt. These foolish Autobots and their human pets. It wasn't even locked. No doubt they had believed their perimeter defense sufficient enough to prevent any attacker from getting close enough to enter the hangar. They had probably even left it unlocked because they believed Optimus and the others would return soon enough that it wouldn't matter.

Galvatron effortlessly pushed the hangar doors open, walking confidently inside. He looked around, internally going over the base layout so that he knew for certain which way he needed to go. He had just pinpointed the hall that led to his destination when the sound of something clattering to the floor behind him caused him to whip his head around.

A human male-a medic, going by the fact that he had just dropped a metal box marked "medical supplies" onto the floor-stood there, staring at him in shock. The human opened his mouth, obviously preparing to shout a warning.

"Hel-"

Galvatron didn't hesitate, violently slashing through the human with the claws on his right hand before he could even finish the word he had been forming. The human went down hard, hitting the floor with a wet, sickening _crunch_. The Decepticon leader shook the blood off of his hand impassively.

"So foolish," He muttered in disgust, turning back in the direction he had been facing before the human insect had distracted him. He had to move more quickly now. The last thing he needed was for another human to discover the body and raise the alarm before he gotten what he had come for. He made his way to the hall, pausing briefly before entering.

According to the layout of the base, the Autobot medbay was in this hall as well. The Autobot medic Ratchet would no doubt be inside, possibly with others. He could easily slaughter the medic and any with him, but he had no time for that. As satisfying as it would be, he could not take the time to do it. Killing the human had already delayed him enough. He would have to somehow prevent them from leaving the medbay and discovering him in the hall.

_Putting the Sparklings in a room near one with other Autobots inside,_ _for additional protection,_ Galvatron thought as he resumed walking, entering the hall, making his way much more cautiously now. _Clever. _He paused again as he finally arrived at the door to the medbay. It was shut and double-locked-both inside the room as well as outside- but a quick scan and looking over of it revealed a critical weak point for him to exploit. Both locks could be disengaged from the inside, linked together so they would unlock at the same time as long as a connection between the two locks remained.

_But not clever enough._

He stabbed his hand into the locking mechanism, ripping out the wires that linked the outer lock to the inner one, and slashing them to pieces for good measure. Now, the inner lock could be undone, but the outer would remain in place, trapping those inside. He could hear muffled voices rising anxiously inside the medbay and drew back, flinging the destroyed wires to the ground. His presence would definitely not go unnoticed now-the Autobots would warn the humans and the insects would foolishly come to try and stop him.

No matter.

Turning around, he armed his plasma rifle and fired two shots at the ceiling of the hall behind him. With a groaning sound, the tiles and ceiling supports crashed down, effectively sealing off the hallway. He would be able to blast his way through easily if he needed to, of course, but the humans would not find it so simple to get past the newly-formed blockade. It also gave him another potential escape route through the ceiling if he needed to get away quickly.

Galvatron laughed as he turned away from the destruction he had caused, once again heading towards the room where the Sparklings were kept.

* * *

><p>Ratchet growled in frustration as the door once again refused to unlock. Well, it <em>was<em> actually unlocking correctly inside the medbay; it was the outer lock that wouldn't disengage. He tried one more time to unlock the door, but it wouldn't budge. The medic vented in frustration; he needed help.

_Computron, something or someone just destroyed the outer lock to the medbay door. Whatever it was also destroyed something out in the hall, judging by the sounds we heard._ The medic looked over his shoulder at Chromia, who was watching him tensely, just as concerned over what had just happened as he was. _Chromia and I are trapped in here and we don't know where the intruder went. Can you come and try to get the door fixed from the outside? Bring help-we don't know who did this._

_Sure thing, Ratchet,_ Computron replied immediately. _I'm just on the other side of the base now, but I'm coming._

There was a pause over the comm, during which Ratchet once again turned his focus on trying to get the door lock to cooperate. He was just about to try one of his medical tools to see if he could fix the problem on his own when his comm suddenly came back to life.

_Frag it all, no!_

Ratchet jerked his head up, optics widening in surprise, whipping around to look at Chromia in shock. Her expression let him know that she had also received Computron's message and she was just as surprised as he was. Computron _never_ swore.

_What is it?_ He asked anxiously.

_One of the human medics-Liam-has been killed! Primus, he's laying on the floor in the main hangar, slashed to pieces!_

_Slag!_ Ratchet ran to one of the cabinets above his desk, pulled out a small welding torch, and hurried back over to the door. His suspicions were confirmed-someone was on the base who intended them harm, and at a time when the security systems and long range communications had be temporarily knocked offline by the storm and they could not call for help from Optimus and the others outside the base. Wait…taken down by the storm, or… The medic's optics widened in alarm. _Computron, forget about helping us. Get to the Sparklings and protect them, now!_

_I will…but…no, the hall is blocked-part of the ceiling's just caved in! I can't get past it! The humans can't either! There isn't enough space!_

_Then work to move the rubble!_ Ratchet snapped back anxiously as he furiously worked to cut through to the other side of the door lock, his Spark racing with fear for what could happen to both his Sparklings and the others if he and the humans couldn't get to them in time. _Hurry!_

_On it!_ Computron cut off as he presumably got to work doing just that.

"Chromia, grab one of the extra welding torches and help me!" Ratchet called over his soldier. As the blue-armored femme hurried to comply, the medic opened his comms with Red Alert and Scattershot.

_Red Alert, Scattershot! Someone is attacking inside the base! Are the Sparklings safe?_

The only response he got was static, but the sound of weapons fire from outside in the hall, in the direction of the Sparkling room, answered his question regardless, confirming his worst fears about what was happening.

_Primus, no!_ Ratchet attacked the door with an uncharacteristic savageness, but the way it held firm only seemed to mock him.

* * *

><p>Red Alert fell back as his opponent also backed away. He remained holding his position if front of the door to the room the Sparklings were in, clutching the plasma burn in his left side, trying to staunch the flow of Energon from the wound. It wasn't a serious injury, but it still hurt. Next to him, Scattershot was trembling, his vents rasping in distress and pain. Like Red Alert, Scattershot had also been injured, in the form of a long, shallow cut slashed diagonally across his chest armor. It had been meant to be a killing blow-the Decepticon attacking them had clearly been aiming for the younger mech's Spark, but Red Alert had pushed him far enough away in time, though not all the way, resulting in an injury that no doubt hurt like the Pit, but at least it was not fatal.<p>

The red-armored mech silently thanked Primus that he had locked and encrypted the door behind them when he and Scattershot had left the room to see what the explosion they'd heard in the hall was. If he fell, at least this Decepticon would have to work to get inside, hopefully buying enough time for help to arrive before he could break through to the Sparklings.

During his initial assault, the strange Decepticon had not spoken, only snarling in rage as he attacked them, seeming primarily to target Scattershot, though his attention had since shifted to Red Alert as the bigger threat in the fight. Now that the fight had ceased, Red Alert was able to get a good look at their attacker. He was sure he had never seen this Decepticon before, but there was something strangely familiar about him.

The Decepticon spoke then, finally breaking his relative silence. "Get out of my way, Autobot scum, and I might let you and your traitor friend live. No one is coming to help you-I made sure of that."

Red Alert felt his Spark stutter at the familiar voice, and he realized who this was. From the way Scattershot had frozen next to him, the younger mech knew who their attacker was as well. "You're Galvatron."

Galvatron laughed, a mocking, deranged sound. "You were expecting _Megatron_, perhaps? Oh, how I hate to disappoint you, Autobot, but he died." He stopped laughing and his optics narrowed dangerously. "Now, move."

Red Alert stood firm, never once moving away from his protective position in front of the door. For once, he was not panicking-he felt strangely calm about what he was about to do. He knew what had to be done, and what was most likely to happen to him as a result, but he knew that no matter what, he could not let Galvatron inside that room. "Never."

"Have it your way, then," Galvatron snarled, and launched himself at Red Alert, forgoing his weapons in favor for hand to hand combat.

The smaller Autobot grunted with exertion as the Decepticon leader crashed into him, though he managed to just barely hold Galvatron back. His processor raced, trying to figure out what to do. His gaze fell upon Scattershot, and he saw a way to get out of this. "Scattershot!" He yelled, the desperation in his voice jerking the younger mech out of his frozen state. "Get into that room across the hall! Break the window, and go find Optimus! Tell him what's happening!" He saw Scattershot hesitate out of the corner of his optic. "Hurry!"

"I can't leave you, sir!" Scattershot protested, his expression terrified.

"You have to! That's an order!" Red Alert cried. He knew that he couldn't hold back Galvatron for long, but if Scattershot could get to Optimus, it would give them the edge they needed to beat back the Decepticon leader. Scattershot wasn't a fighter-after his initial injury, he had tried to help, he really had, but he had just been flung aside by Galvatron as if he was nothing more than a fly-but he _was_ fast. Red Alert knew that. He could do it.

Unfortunately, the orange-armored mech seemed to have frozen in terror again.

With a frantic, desperate effort, Red Alert shoved Galvatron back, drawing his handheld plasma blaster and firing at the Decepticon leader. It barely did any damage to the large mech, but it delayed him enough for what Red Alert did next. Turning, he grabbed Scattershot and flung him in the direction of the room he knew the former Decepticon could escape from.

"Go! It's our only chance!"

The order finally seemed to get through to Scattershot, and the younger mech made a break for it; fueled by his terror, he dashed towards the room. Galvatron snarled and launched himself at Scattershot, but Red Alert was there, slamming into the Decepticon leader and forcing him back from his apprentice. Red Alert caught a glimpse of Scattershot bolting into the room and heard the sound of breaking glass, but before he could look to see if the other mech had truly gotten away, Galvatron grabbed him and flung him into the wall. Dazed from the impact, Red Alert struggled to get back to his feet as Galvatron came towards him, murder in his optics. He tried to bring his blaster up, but Galvatron tore it out of his hand and flung it to the side. Grabbing the smaller mech, the Decepticon leader dug his claws painfully deep into Red Alert's chest armor, leaning in close to his victim as he did so.

"You stayed and fought to give him a chance to get away. Some would call that noble." Galvatron lowered his voice to a dark whisper. "I call it _stupid_."

* * *

><p>Optimus walked among the Autobots and humans, checking on the injured among both groups. The Decepticons had been fighting with the obvious intent of hurting them as much as possible; they had certainly shown far less restraint. None had escaped the battle unscathed this time; there were cuts and bruises among the humans, gashes and torn armor among the Autobots. Optimus bore a painful laceration across his right shoulder and down his arm himself. None of the injuries were life-threatening, but the attack, added to what they had seen when meeting with the Decepticons beforehand, had shaken them badly. The situation appeared to be far worse than they had originally thought. The Prime wanted to offer encouragement, but at the moment he did not know what he could say.<p>

The attack had ended just as suddenly as it had begun, with Cyclonus yelling out the order to retreat and the Decepticons fleeing back in the direction they had come. _"I hope you enjoyed the preview of what will come in the days ahead"_-those had been Cyclonus's parting words, and they were troubling, almost as troubling as the fact that Galvatron had been absent from their attackers.

However, there was nothing to be done about the Decepticons at the moment.

The human field medics were darting quickly around, bandaging up injuries and providing pain medicine to tide the wounded over until they got back to the base. Firestorm was limping among the Autobots, doing his best to treat their injuries as much as he could. The old Seeker had three painful-looking gashes on his back, but was ignoring them as he helped the others. Firestorm had just finished patching up Arcee and had turned to treating Sideswipe, who had had one of his arm blades painfully sheared off. Surprisingly, the silver mech hadn't protested being treated by the old Seeker, and submitting to Firestorm's medical care with an uncharacteristic silence. Sunstreaker was sitting next to his brother, eying him worriedly, but also keeping silent.

Firestorm looked up as Optimus approached, pausing in his placing of a patch on Sideswipe's arm. "I will treat you next, Optimus Prime."

Optimus shook his head. "No. Treat the others first. My injury can wait."

The older Seeker returned to his work. "If that is what you want, Optimus Prime, I will do so."

The Autobot leader nodded, then turned as Bumblebee came up to them. The young Autobot looked exhausted and had a freshly-patched slash across his right side. He had been one of the less wounded among them and had volunteered to go find out where the Decepticons had gone after they retreated, though Optimus had told him to be very careful while doing so.

_They went back to the factory, sir,_ the scout reported dutifully. _We aren't going to follow them, are we?_

The Autobot leader shook his head. "No. There are too many injured. We must return to base as soon as we are able. The injured will be treated, we shall rest, and then we will decide how to deal with the Decepticons."

"Well, I want to know why Galvatron wasn't here," Sideswipe spoke up suddenly, breaking his silence. He looked up at the Prime while Firestorm finished welding the patch on his arm. "Going by what we saw back there, I would've thought he'd want to attack us for not giving in to his demands. It seemed like he did, so why wasn't he with the others when they attacked us?"

"That is what troubles me." Optimus frowned. "If Galvatron was not here, then where was he?"

_Back at the factory, trying to come up with a new plan while he sent the others to fight us just to throw us off, _Bumblebee suggested, gingerly rubbing the patch on his side.

"Perhaps." Optimus turned to look in the direction of the base. His immediate thought when Galvatron had not been present among the Decepticons they had fought was that the Decepticon leader had made a move to attack the Autobot base. However, surely Ratchet would have contacted him to let him know if that had happened. Bumblebee was probably right-Galvatron had intended to throw them off balance by not coming to fight himself. A faint movement on the road ahead caught his attention, and he frowned. _What or who is that?_

As it got rapidly closer, he recognized who it was, but before he could say anything, the orange car he had seen had pulled up amongst them and Transformed into Scattershot. He staggered slightly once on his feet, and fell to his hands and knees with a painful groan.

Immediately Optimus was kneeling next to the former Decepticon, placing a hand on his shoulder in concern. Up close, he could see that the mech was injured. He had a slash right across his chest, only slightly above his Spark, and Energon was steadily trickling from it. His vents were heaving with stress. He had obviously pushed himself close to his limits to get here so quickly.

"Scattershot?" Optimus asked, his voice tinged with concern. He was aware that all activity in the field had ceased, with both Autobots and humans watching what was going on, but he ignored it, focusing on Scattershot instead. "What happened to you? Why are you injured?"

The younger mech looked up at him, the expression on his face nothing short of terrified. Panting in distress, he managed to force a few words out. "Base…Sparklings…danger…Galvatron…"

A sudden fear stabbed through his Spark at the former Decepticon's words, and Optimus immediately rose back to his feet. "Firestorm, look after Scattershot. Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Prowl, come with me. We need to get to the base immediately. The rest of you come to the base as soon as you are done here."

"Red Alert…is fighting…him…sent me…here. Communications are…down. I…came through…window on side…where Sparkling room…is," Scattershot gasped again, and Optimus looked back at him intently. "Hall is…blocked…got to…go…way I came."

Optimus nodded his understanding of Scattershot's words, and turned away.

The three Autobots going with him had sprung into action at his command, and had already Transformed into their vehicle forms. Trusting his allies who were remaining behind to follow his orders, Optimus shifted into his own alt mode, and led the way to the road. Once his tires touched the asphalt, he increased his speed to as fast as he could safely go, aware of his companions doing the same as they all but tore across the road towards the base. There was no time to waste.

_As long as my Spark still functions, you will __**not**__ touch them, Galvatron!_

* * *

><p>That annoying Autobot had certainly known what he was doing, Galvatron had to admit that. The door had been locked and then encrypted, infuriatingly so, but he had finally broken through, ripping the door to one side as he stepped through it, his optics roving around the room as he searched for his quarry.<p>

He spotted them at once. Five in all, all mechs of varying ages, sizes, and armor color, they were huddling at one end of the room, watching him with fearful optics. The biggest one, a sturdy-looking mech with red and blue armor, was standing in front of the others, arms held out to keep them behind him. Even though he was just a Sparkling, it could not be more obvious that he was trying to protect the other four.

Galvatron curled his bottom liplate in contempt, feeling disgusted at the Sparkling's actions. Defending the weak. It appeared that the Autobot corruption of these five Decepticon Sparklings was already well underway. It was a good thing he was here now, then; he had a chance to take them back while they were still young enough to be groomed back into proper Decepticons. Though, to simplify things, perhaps he should just take one now and use him as leverage to buy Autobot cooperation. No sense in jeopardizing his plan by trying to get five Sparklings away when one would do the job just fine.

He considered each one as he walked towards them. They let out clicks and squeaks of fear as he got closer and closer, trying to huddle further back as the big one kept standing protectively in front of the others. Most of them would obviously have ground-based vehicle modes one day, and one of them was so small he would clearly never be of any real use. Galvatron's gaze finally settled on the second smallest one. His armor was red and silver, but, most importantly, he had the beginnings of wings on his back, something the other four Sparklings did not have, marking him as what the Cybertronians called a Seeklet, a flight-capable Cybertronian in the making. The Decepticons could always make use of another flier. So much more convenient that a ground-based soldier.

The Decepticon leader reached forward and grabbed the little Seeklet roughly by one arm, ignoring his fearful cries as he lifted him up to get a better look at the Decepticons' newest recruit.

* * *

><p>Fueled by the anxiety of what Scattershot's warning had told them was going on back at the NEST base, Optimus Prime, Prowl, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee had all pushed themselves to the brink of their remaining endurance to get back as fast as they could. The battle with the Decepticons had worn them down, but the knowledge that the Sparklings and the others on the base were in danger had caused them to find the strength to get back far quicker than it normally would have taken them.<p>

The storm had slackened off by the time they arrived at the base, but it was still raining. Pulling up, Optimus saw that the doors to the main hangar were open. However, that was not the way they were going to enter. He Transformed, aware of the others doing the same, drawing his ion blaster as he walked around the side of the hangar, following it to the smaller hanger that housed the medbay and Sparkling room, looking for the place where Scattershot had said they would be able to get in.

_There!_ Bumblebee said, pointing to a window on the side of the building.

The glass had been shattered from the window frame, and shards were scattered on the ground below it. Fortunately, it was a rather large window, and the Autobots would all be able to get in without making it bigger-something that would make a great deal of noise and no doubt draw the attention of Galvatron. That was something they did not want.

They were close enough now for the short-range comms to work, and Optimus tried to contact Red Alert, knowing that if there was any possibility that the other mech had held off Galvatron, he and the others needed to know of it. _Red Alert, report. What is your status?_

Silence was his only answer.

Optimus felt the unease and dread he was already feeling strengthen in his Spark. Scattershot had said that the red-armored mech had been fighting Galvatron, and now he was not answering his comm. Red Alert was either badly injured, or…

_Weapons,_ Optimus ordered tensely over the comm. _Remain silent. We do not want to alert Galvatron to our presence before we can position ourselves to stop him._ The other Autobots gave their silent assent as they readied their own weapons, following the Prime as he went through the window first, checking to make sure it was clear before motioning for the others to follow him.

Optimus led the way through the room. It was one of the spare rooms set up to be used as a meeting place, containing a large table and several human-sized chairs. All of the chairs along the left side of the table and been knocked over, as if someone had charged by them, not bothering to be careful about what they ran into-someone in a hurry, or utterly panicked, or both.

_Scattershot,_ Optimus realized. _He was truly desperate to get to us to warn of what was going on here. _

The door to the room was open, and Optimus cautiously stepped out into the hall, looking to the right, in the direction of the medbay. He could see right away that Galvatron had gone to a great deal of trouble to prevent outside interference. As Scattershot had said, the ceiling in that direction was caved in, blocking the hallway with rubble. He could hear faint sounds, voices, coming from the other side, signalling that there were others there trying to clear their own way through. Optimus quickly sent a brief comm message to the Autobots still away from the base, issuing a command for them to help move the rubble once they returned, then refocused on the hall.

The medbay door was shut, and the Autobot leader could see, even from his position, that the outer locking mechanism of the door had been damaged. However, he could see faint sparks shooting from it at regular intervals-in too much of a pattern for it to just be the damaged wiring shorting out-showing that Ratchet was working to cut his way out. They could help Ratchet, but by the look of things, he was almost done himself, and Optimus knew that Ratchet would prefer they go protect the Sparklings over breaking the medbay door down.

The Prime turned in the other direction, and felt his Spark fall as a rush of pain hit him full-force at the sight that met his optics.

Scorch marks streaked the walls, and there were splatters of Energon mingled with them. Not that far from the signs of battle, a short distance from the door that led to the Sparkling room, lying in a pool of Energon, was Red Alert.

Optimus walked forward and knelt next to the fallen mech. He was curled on his side, his arms and legs positioned in way that made it look as if he had been trying to crawl in the direction of the Sparkling room. There were gashes and plasma burns all over his armor, and his chassis had been viciously slashed apart, and ripped open. His Spark was gone, the casing completely shredded and pulled out. An expression of agony was twisted on the red-armored mech's faceplate.

The Prime shuttered his optics briefly, grief and anger surging through him at the way Red Alert had been offlined. This was far more than a simple death in a battle; it was far worse than that. Galvatron had gone beyond killing Red Alert; he had _mutilated_ him.

Aware of the others standing next to him, Optimus unshuttered his optics and rose back to his feet, turning to face them. Prowl was staring at his fallen friend, the grief in his expression so strong that Optimus's Spark ached in sympathy. He could see pain and sorrow in Sideswipe and Bumblebee's expressions as well, but there was anger at what had been done there, too.

The sound of a very young voice crying out in fear from the Sparkling room immediately drew their attention, and Optimus motioned for the others to follow him. Galvatron needed to be stopped before any harm came to the Sparklings by his hand.

Red Alert had died protecting the Sparklings.

They would not let his sacrifice be in vain.

* * *

><p>Trailbreaker couldn't stand it, seeing his friends so scared. He knew, both from watching Optimus and from just the way he felt, that he <em>needed<em> to keep his friends safe and happy as best as he could. He'd tried to protect them, but this new, scary-looking mech was so big, he had reached right over him and grabbed Fireflight. He was obviously hurting him, Fireflight wouldn't be crying like that if he wasn't. The large mech snarled and tightened his hold on the Sparkling's arm. Fireflight screamed, and something inside Trailbreaker snapped at his friend's cry of pain.

With an angry cry of his own, the Sparkling flung himself at the larger mech, hitting one of his legs as hard as he could with his tiny fists. "Down! Down!" He screamed angrily at the stranger as he continued his desperate attack, and suddenly, the words he was trying to say, the ones he had heard the older Autobots speak before, finally clicked into place and got through his vocal capacitor exactly the way he wanted to say them. _"Put him down!"_

Galvatron hissed in rage, dropping the Sparkling he had been holding. The other Sparkling's assault on him was really nothing more than an annoyance, but he had had enough of it. He reached down and smacked the Sparkling hard enough to knock him to the floor, then savagely grabbed him by the left arm and yanked it painfully as he lifted the Sparkling up, even with his optics.

"You little _brat_," He snarled. "I'll teach you a lesson you won't soon forget!"

He opened his free hand, preparing to slash the Sparkling with his claws, but the sound of weapons activating behind him made him turn around quickly. Optimus was standing with his ion blaster ready, with Prowl, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee standing next to him with their own weapons activated. All four Autobots were damaged and obviously exhausted from both the battle and desperate journey back to the base, but the scared and angry looks on their faces let him know that they were ready to fight to protect the Sparklings.

But he had the advantage here.

"Well, well, Optimus," He said smoothly. "It seems you are quicker on the uptake than I thought." He let out a laugh. "Pity about that soldier of yours-Red Alert, wasn't it? He put up a fight."

Optimus's optics narrowed, pained anger and restrained grief in his voice as he replied. "You did not just kill him-you maimed his body. What you did was_ inexcusable_."

"Oh, was it?" Galvatron laughed scornfully. "I needed to get in here, he was trying to stop me. Simply put, he had to go."

Trailbreaker, still dangling painfully from one arm in Galvatron's grip, locked his scared optics with Optimus Prime. All of his earlier bravery had vanished the instant Galvatron had first hit him. Now he was just a Sparkling in pain, terrified, in the hold of a mech who had hurt him, and he wanted nothing more than for his caretaker to rescue him and provide comfort from the fear and the pain in his arm. A sob escaped from the Sparkling. "Opt…"

Galvatron looked from the Sparkling he held to Optimus, the realization of just who this Sparkling was to the Autobot leader dawning in his mind as he saw the conflicting emotions on the Prime's face-fear, anger, desperation, pain.

"_Opt_," Galvatron said mockingly, feeling a sense of dark satisfaction. "I see now. Oh, yes, I see."

"Put him _down_, Galvatron," Optimus demanded, his voice low and angry, though he failed to prevent a faint hint of the fear he felt for Trailbreaker's safety from slipping into his words. "_Now_."

"No," Galvatron snarled, tightening his grip on Trailbreaker's arm. The Sparkling whimpered in pain and the Autobots tensed, but Galvatron ignored them. "No, Optimus, I don't think I will. As long as I have him, I have the upper hand against you, and I will not give that up!"

Optimus's optics darted from Galvatron, to Trailbreaker, to the other Sparklings huddled together in a pitiful group against the wall. Galvatron was standing in-between the Autobots and the rest of the Sparklings, giving the Decepticon leader more hostages than just Trailbreaker; he was simply too close to the little ones for the Autobots to attempt a charge to get the Sparklings away from him.

Optimus looked back to Trailbreaker again, his Spark clenching in pain at the pure terror he saw on Trailbreaker's face. He was crying. Oh, Primus, his Sparkling was _crying_.

When he had taken Trailbreaker in as his own, he had vowed to protect him no matter what. And he was failing at that now. He was here, and Trailbreaker was in danger, and he could not help him without risking him and the other Sparklings getting badly hurt.

_Do not cry, Trailbreaker,_ Optimus thought, his own pain and fear for the safety of his Sparkling warring within him as he struggled to find a way out of this. _Do not cry, little one. I will rescue you, I promise._

"Well, Optimus, what will it be?" Galvatron looked confidently at the Autobot leader. "Will you risk hurting this Sparkling, all of the Sparklings, or will you do what I say?"

Optimus spoke again, his voice strained as he forced himself to look away from Trailbreaker and at the Decepticon leader. "What do you want, Galvatron?"

"I want the Matrix of Leadership," the Decepticon Leader growled. "You hold the only thing that can destroy Unicron, and I need it!"

"Only a Prime can use it," Optimus replied warily, tightening his hold on his ion blaster when Trailbreaker let out another faint whimper.

"Don't think I don't know that!" Galvatron snapped, annoyed at being interrupted. He was so close to his goal now, he had no patience for Optimus's know-it-all statements. "I want you to use it to destroy him, so that I can…"

His words trailed off, his expression shifting to one of confusion; he felt a faint pressure building in his processor that quickly turned into a searing fire lancing through his mind, and then Galvatron was howling in pain, clutching at his helm with his free hand, unconsciously tightening his hold on Trailbreaker to the point where the Sparkling started screaming too. At this, the Autobots tensed further and began to move forward slightly. However, Galvatron was not aware of anything going on around him through the fire in his mind.

Through the haze of pain, words tore through him, words that only he could hear.

**ENOUGH, GALVATRON! I GAVE YOU LIFE, AND YOU INTENDED TO BETRAY ME? IT AMUSED ME FOR A WHILE, BUT MY PATIENCE WITH YOU HAS RUN OUT! I WARNED YOU OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU FAILED TO DO WHAT I COMMANDED!**

His Spark was suddenly held in that horrible vice Unicron had used on him the last time he had shown insolence towards the Destroyer, and he could not move.

**YOU **_**WILL**_** BE PUNISHED FOR YOUR TREACHERY. HOWEVER, I AM WILLING TO GIVE YOU ONE MORE CHANCE. LEAVE THE AUTOBOTS NOW. MEET THEM IN BATTLE IN A FEW DAYS' TIME. TAKE THE MATRIX THEN. THIS WILL BE YOUR LAST CHANCE!**

There was a sharp tearing sensation in his processor, then, as suddenly as it had come, then pain was gone, his Spark was free, and Galvatron was finally aware of his surroundings again. Looking up, he noticed the Autobots still watching him tensely, weapons trained on him. With a scream of rage, he dropped the sobbing Trailbreaker, charging the Autobots. Taken by surprise, they flung themselves away as he barreled past them into the hall.

Optimus spun around just in time to see the Decepticon leader Transform, roaring through the hole he had made in the hall ceiling earlier, blasting the rest of the ceiling away to escape outside. However, the more important matter was in the room, and he instantly turned his attention in front of him again, throwing his ion blaster to one side as he walked forward, kneeling down and picking up Trailbreaker, holding the terrified Sparkling close.

"It is alright, Trailbreaker," Optimus murmured gently, taking care to avoid jostling the Sparkling's injured left arm, which was hanging limply at his side. "I am here. You are safe now."

"Opt," Trailbreaker sobbed, burying his faceplate against his Optimus's chassis, pressing himself as far as he could into his caretaker's protective embrace, trembling with both pain and fear.

"You are safe. I am here. You are safe." Optimus briefly touched his helm to the Sparkling's, then looked up, in Prowl's direction. "Prowl, go and get Ratchet, please. If he is still trapped in the medbay, do what needs to be done to get him out."

"Yes, sir." Prowl replied, his voice subdued with quiet grief. He met the Prime's gaze evenly, however. "Permission to move Red Alert after I get Ratchet, sir?"

The Autobot leader inclined his head towards his Second-in-Command. "Permission granted, Prowl."

"Thank you, sir." Prowl nodded, then turned and left the room.

Optimus watched him go. By asking Prowl to get Ratchet and then granting his request to move Red Alert out of the hallway, he had also silently given him permission to go and grieve over the loss of Red Alert on his own. The Security Officer had obviously been devastated at the sight of his friend's mutilated body when they had arrived, but he had pushed those feeling aside so they could save the Sparklings. Now, he needed to deal with it. On his own, for the time being, which was how Prowl best dealt with things such as this.

Red Alert had sacrificed himself to save the Sparklings. He had gone against Galvatron and sent Scattershot away to warn the others knowing perfectly well that would happen to him, but he had done it anyway. He had met his fate willingly to save the Sparklings.

He would want them to remember that.

Optimus returned his attention to Trailbreaker. The Sparkling was still crying, but his sobs had faded into hiccupping whimpers, and he was looking back in the direction of the other Sparklings, concern in his expression alongside the pain-he was worried about his friends. Optimus followed his gaze.

Bumblebee was kneeling on the floor, holding Blaster close with one arm, warbling quietly to him to soothe away his cries. The scout's other arm was around First Aid and Beachcomber, providing comfort to them as best as he could, knowing that they needed to get it from someone since Ratchet was not there yet. Judging by the way the two Sparklings were clinging to each other as they leaned against Bumblebee, the comfort was desperately needed.

Fireflight was the only one of the Sparklings not crying. All fear of the events apparently forgotten now that Galvatron was gone and his caretaker was there, he was showing his arm to Sideswipe, pointing at the dents in it from where Galvatron had grabbed him. Sideswipe picked him up and held him close, a look of relief mixed with anger on his faceplate.

Seeing that his friends were all being taken care of, Trailbreaker turned back to his caretaker and laid his head back against his armor with a soft whimper. "Hurts," He said in a tiny voice.

"I know, little one," Optimus replied softly. "I know. Ratchet will take care of it."

No sooner had the words left the Prime's mouth when Ratchet entered the room, an expression of sadness and worry on his faceplate. His optics lit up slightly in relief when he saw Beachcomber and First Aid next to Bumblebee, and he turned to Optimus.

"Are any of them badly hurt?"

"First Aid, Beachcomber, and Blaster appear unharmed." He looked at Bumblebee for confirmation, and the scout nodded. The Prime looked back at Ratchet. "Fireflight has some dents in his right arm, and Trailbreaker appears to be unable to use his left arm at all." He paused before continuing, faint anger present in his voice. "Galvatron was not gentle when he picked them up."

Ratchet looked over Trailbreaker's arm with a concerned frown, then moved to look at Fireflight, before returning to Optimus. "Bring them to the medbay. I'll take care of them." The medic made his way over to his two Sparklings, who were reaching for him from where they were still sitting next to Bumblebee. The medic knelt down, picking Beachcomber and First Aid up and holding them close as he stood back up.

"Easy, little ones. I've got you." He looked up at Optimus, then to Sideswipe and Bumblebee, looking tired and pained. "Cover their optics. They don't need to see what's in the hall. Prowl's moved Red Alert to a side room, but still…"

"I know." Shifting his hold on Trailbreaker so that the Sparkling would be shielded from the scene in the hall, Optimus followed Ratchet from the room, Sideswipe and Bumblebee trailing after him, doing the same for their own Sparklings.

They did not want to add to the nightmares that would in all likelihood come later that night.

* * *

><p>Having been ordered by the medic to rest after the stress of what had happened, Chromia was sitting on a berth when Ratchet and the others came in. The medic came over and sat First Aid and Beachcomber in her lap, making sure they were secure before he fully let go of them.<p>

"Chromia's going to look after you two while I take care of your friends, so sit tight. All right?" First Aid let out a squeak as he scooted over and wrapped his arms around Beachcomber in a hug, which his older brother returned. "Good." Ratchet looked at Chromia. The medic wanted to take the time to comfort his Sparklings himself, but Fireflight and Trailbreaker were hurt and needed to be taken care of first. He knew he could trust Chromia to take care of them in his place for the moment. "They're still very scared and upset. Continue to comfort them while I treat Fireflight and Trailbreaker's injuries, please."

Chromia nodded, wrapping her arms around the two Sparklings, holding them gently. "I will, Ratchet."

"Thank you." The medic turned to face Optimus, gesturing to an empty berth near him. "Since Trailbreaker's injury is worse than Fireflight's, I need to treat him first. Sit him up on this berth, Optimus."

The Prime complied, gently setting Trailbreaker down on the berth, though he left a hand resting nearby so he could continue to provide support for the Sparkling throughout the treatment he would receive.

Ratchet gently took Trailbreaker's left arm in one hand, examining it. Trailbreaker let out a soft cry, turning his head to press his face against Optimus's arm, and Optimus gently placed his other hand on the Sparkling's head, silently comforting his charge.

"I know, I know," Ratchet said gently, activating his scanners so that he could confirm his diagnosis of Trailbreaker's injury. If there was one thing he did not like about his job as a medic, it was causing pain to a Sparkling while taking care of them, even though it was unavoidable during some treatments, especially for injuries like this. "I'm almost done looking at it."

Unfortunately, the next step would be even more painful for the little Sparkling.

"His arm is dislocated," Ratchet said, deactivating his scanners and gently releasing his hold on Trailbreaker's left arm. He looked up at Optimus. "I'm going to have to reset it and then put it in a support to keep it in place over the next few days while it heals." He turned and saw Bumblebee standing nearby, rocking Blaster to calm him down the rest of the way. "Bumblebee, go and get a small support out of that cabinet-you which one, right? Good."

As Bumblebee went to get the support, shifting Blaster into one arm as he opened the cabinet Ratchet had indicated, the medic lowered himself so that he could look Trailbreaker in the optics better. "Trailbreaker, I'm about to fix your arm. It will hurt, but it will only last a short while. I promise the pain will be much less after that, and you'll feel better. I need you to be brave now, while I do this. Optimus will be with you the whole time. Okay?"

Trailbreaker looked solemnly up at Ratchet, considering his words. Finally he nodded. "Okay."

Ratchet looked at Optimus, one optic ridged quirked at the Sparkling's use of the full word 'okay' and not the short 'kay' that he, like the other Sparklings, had always used previously. Optimus returned the medic's look, then gazed down at his Sparkling with a thoughtful expression. Ratchet looked back at Trailbreaker, smiling gently at the Sparkling as he straightened back up. "Good lad."

Bumblebee came up then, offering the support to the medic, and Ratchet took it. "Thank you, Bumblebee." He looked back at the Prime. "Optimus, you're going to have to hold him. Gently, but tightly. He can't move while I do this or it will make the injury worse."

Optimus lifted Trailbreaker off the berth, shifting him into a comfortable position in his arms, maintaining a gentle but firm grip. Ratchet stepped forward, reaching to take hold of Trailbreaker's arm once again. Trailbreaker whimpered, tightly gripping Optimus's arm with his right hand and scrunching his optics shut. "It will be over soon, Trailbreaker, I promise. Ready…now."

The medic lifted Trailbreakers arm and, with a single, deft movement, pushed it back into place. Trailbreaker let out a wail, but it quickly faded into a series of faint whimpers as Optimus continued to hold him and the medic rubbed a thumb gently over the Sparkling's newly reset arm.

"There, see? It's almost over." Ratchet took the support Bumblebee had given him and gently fitted it over Trailbreaker's arm, tightening it so that it would hold up for the next few days, while the Sparkling needed to wear it. "You're such a brave Sparkling. There, all done."

Trailbreaker unshuttered his optics and looked at his arm, letting go of Optimus and poking the support with his right hand as his curiosity got the better of him in spite of the fact that his arm was still hurting. Ratchet looked back up at Optimus, who was watching Trailbreaker with a small, relived smile, though the weariness and pain from the day's events were still visible in his optics.

"Come back in a few days and I'll take that support off; his arm will be better by then."

"Thank you, old friend," Optimus said.

Ratchet motioned for Sideswipe to bring Fireflight to the berth, pulling out a small magnetic stylus out of a nearby drawer as he did so. "Hello, Fireflight. Let's see that arm of yours, now. Sit him up here, Sideswipe, and I'll get those dents out of his arm. This might sting a little, Fireflight, but you'll be fine."

Relative silence filled the medbay as Ratchet worked, deftly moving the stylus along Fireflight's arm and gently pulling the dents out of the Sparkling's armor, but it was not a comfortable silence. The recent events had led to a somber atmosphere filling the room, fueled by the grief, pain, and the righteous anger that the Autobots were all feeling.

Red Alert was dead. Fireflight and Trailbreaker had both been injured. And Liam, one of the human medics, had been killed as well.

The meeting with the Decepticons had been a trap, after all. But not one that they had expected. They had not considered something like this. And now, they had paid the price.

_What happens now?_ Bumblebee finally asked, voicing the thought in all their minds. The young scout looked at Optimus. _What are we going to do, sir?_

"We rest and recover our strength," Optimus said quietly. "I have just received confirmation that the others will be back soon. Repairs will have to be made to the base, and the security and communications systems brought back online. Once all that is done, we will take the steps necessary to make things right. The events of this day have allowed me to see clearly what we have to do. One way or another, we have to end this now." The Autobot leader paused, looking over them all.

When the Prime's next words came, all the Autobots present both expected and fully supported them.

"Autobots, the time has come for us to make our last stand."


	26. Pieces

**A/N: **_Sorry for the long gap between chapters. I'll be perfectly honest, 2014 was not a good year for me productivity-wise. It was one thing after another for me and my family, and family takes priority for me over everything else. I managed to write whenever I found time, but said time was few and far between. However, everything has been hopefully smoothed over and 2015 should be a much better year._

_That said, it was never my intention for this chapter to exist. Originally, this chapter and the next one where combined, but as I wrote it became more and more obvious that it wouldn't work, so I split it in two and created this new chapter. This doesn't mean I've started the next chapter yet-but it DOES mean that it (hopefully) won't take me long to finish as I won't have to cover as much as I would have before the split._

_Now, for the story matters._

_Trailbreaker and Blaster's actions in this chapter are inspired partially by my two-year-old nephew, who is smart for his age and always saying and doing things, as well as understanding things, that you wouldn't expect from a two-year-old. Also the conversation between Optimus and Trailbreaker is inspired by the fourth book in the Underland Chronicles series, Gregor and the Marks of Secret. It does an excellent job of explaining death in a matter a very young child would understand, and I tried to do the same here. _

_Again, just like the last one, this is not a happy chapter. We're dealing with the aftermath of the horrible events of the last chapter, so that means angst and dealing with grief and loss and the like. You might want tissues._

**Dialogue Guide:**

"_Radio speak"_

_Comm speak/Thoughts/Flashbacks/Written Words_

"Normal speech_"_

"**Cybertronian**_"_

**UNICRON'S SPEECH**

_Feedback is greatly appreciated as it helps me improve._

_Enjoy._

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Transformers, or any of the song/movie quotes used in this story. However, the idea for this story does, indeed, belong to me.**

**HERE'S YOUR TRADITIONAL, FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD REMINDER THIS IS NOT A SLASH FIC.**

**NOTE: DO NOT READ THIS FIC UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN DARK OF THE MOON! MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUND…YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Transformers: Day of the Black Sun**

**Chapter Twenty-Five-Pieces**

**Rating: T **

**Words: 20,676**

* * *

><p>OPTIMUS SAT AT HIS DESK IN THE quarters he shared with Trailbreaker, his Sparkling curled up against him, supported by one arm as the Autobot leader held him close. Exhausted both physically and mentally from the terrible events earlier that day, Trailbreaker had fallen into recharge snuggled up against his caretaker shortly after Optimus had returned to their quarters, and the Prime didn't have the Spark to move him into his own berth after what had happened. Optimus was exhausted himself, but he knew that he would not be able to recharge at the moment.<p>

After the remaining Autobot and human NEST forces had returned to base and the path back to the main hangar had been cleared enough for those trapped on the other side to get through, Optimus had taken it upon himself to inform them of the full depth of the tragedy that had occurred while they had been fighting the Decepticons. The news of the deaths of Red Alert and the human medic Liam had added to demoralized state the Autobots and their allies were in after the confrontation with Galvatron and the resulting battle against the other Decepticons. It had been a rather subdued group that had gone to assist in finishing clearing the remains of the rubble in the hall to the medbay and removing the signs of Red Alert's battle with Galvatron from the walls and floor, while those who had been injured in the fight went to receive treatment for their wounds.

In the medbay, Ratchet had looked over the Autobots' injuries, making sure the treatment Firestorm had given them was satisfactory. Fortunately, none of the wounds had been serious, and the repairs Firestorm had conducted out in the field had held up relatively well, only requiring a few additional adjustments from Ratchet. As usual, only once the other Autobots had all been looked over, had Optimus finally allowed Ratchet to patch up his own injury. By now, all the repairs were complete and most of the Autobots had returned to their own quarters to rest. Prowl had not left the room where he had laid Red Alert's body-Ratchet had needed to leave the medbay to look over his repairs-and, after he had his own injuries treated, a devastated Scattershot had quietly slipped in to join him.

While they _were_ alone in the room with Red Alert's body, Prowl and Scattershot were _not_ the only ones mourning. A cloud of grief and righteous anger had settled on the base and its occupants, and as far as Optimus could see, there would be no dispersing it any time soon.

Going over both encounters with Galvatron in his mind, through the renewed anger and grief he felt over what had happened, Optimus was more and more troubled. Megatron had always been savage; the memories of the aftermath of countless battles with him were proof enough of that. However, the brutal way Galvatron had killed Red Alert showed a new viciousness in the way the reborn Decepticon leader fought. He had purposefully targeted the Sparks of the Autobots he fought before, but not like this. Never before had he actually so utterly destroyed one, not only extinguishing it but shredding the casing and pulling it out of the Spark Chamber once the victim was already offline.

Adding that savagery to the mental instability Galvatron so obviously had…it was a combination that did not bode well for the Autobots and the humans.

More troubling still was what had happened when Galvatron had been holding Trailbreaker and the other Sparklings hostage. The way he had screamed and clutched at his helm, as if something was tearing his processor apart, before dropping Trailbreaker and fleeing the base. While it had actually worked in the Autobots' favor, with the Sparklings being safe, there was still something about it that disturbed Optimus deeply.

Galvatron had had the advantage. Why did he give it up and flee the base? He had _never_ been one to give up when he had the upper hand, so why did he do it now? And what had caused him the pain he had obviously been in? The Matrix was not providing any insights, except for the still-strong feelings of wrongness that it had first given him during the meeting with Galvatron, so he had to try and figure this out on his own. Unfortunately, it was not an easy task. Optimus vented wearily, no closer to the answers he needed now than he had been when he had first returned to his quarters.

In his protective hold, Trailbreaker stirred slightly, letting out a faint, fearful whimper. Recognizing the signs of a nightmare, Optimus gently readjusted his hold on the Sparkling, taking care to avoid moving the little one's injured left arm. Looking down at Trailbreaker, Optimus felt his Spark ache at both the memory of what had happened to his Sparkling, and the thought of what else could have happened to him if Galvatron hadn't suddenly abandoned his plans. He loved Trailbreaker and knowing just how close he had come to losing his Sparkling truly frightened the Prime. Trailbreaker whimpered pitifully again, curling closer to his caretaker as he instinctively sought comfort in his recharge.

"It is all right, little one," the Prime whispered, shifting his hold a little more so that Trailbreaker was closer to his Spark. "I am here."

The Sparkling settled down as his close proximity to his caretaker's Spark lulled him back into a nightmare-free recharge, and Optimus relaxed back in his chair, relieved that Trailbreaker had calmed without waking. However, the bulk of his thoughts were still troubled and pained.

They had come so close to losing the Sparklings. If it had not been for Red Alert's brave sacrifice and Scattershot's desperate journey to warn the rest of the Autobots of what was happening on the base, they _would_ have lost them. Optimus was relieved that they were safe and knew that he and the others would always remember and be grateful for what Red Alert had done, and Scattershot as well. Still, remembering the look of terror on Trailbreaker's face as Galvatron held him, his whimpers of pain, the sight of the other Sparklings huddling together in fear and the feeling of complete helplessness to do anything to help them without endangering them further, knowing that there was _nothing_ he could do…those memories would haunt Optimus's processor for a long time.

It reminded him too much of what had happened to Elita.

He had been helpless to do anything then, too. He had not been fast enough to save her and had been forced to watch as Shockwave brutally killed her. Optimus had never forgiven himself for that, even though he knew there was nothing he could have done and that Elita would not have blamed him for it at all. The guilt and pain from losing her still existed in his Spark, and today he had come so close to adding to those feelings by losing not only _his_ Sparkling charge, but the other four as well.

The Prime knew he also never would have forgiven himself if the same thing had happened to Trailbreaker or any of the others, and silently thanked Primus that the Sparklings were safe. Thanks to the noble sacrifice of Red Alert, thanks to the amazing speed of Scattershot, they were _safe_.

Optimus looked back down at his Sparkling, watching as he recharged peacefully; his young faceplate fixed into a solemn expression even in his recharge, he was holding onto one edge of the Prime's armor with his left hand as tightly as his injured arm and the support brace around it would allow. Nothing would ever fill the painful hole in his Spark where Elita used to be, but Trailbreaker's presence helped ease that pain. Every smile, every laugh, and every time the Sparkling's optics lit up and he let out a happy cry of "Opt!" whenever he saw his caretaker, helped bridge a dark chasm that Optimus had once believed he would never be able to cross again.

_Elita would have loved you, little one,_ Optimus thought sorrowfully, feeling the faint echoes of pain from the lost bond in his Spark. _She would have loved you._

He watched Trailbreaker recharge for a long moment, before turning his attention back to what the Autobots were going to face soon. Diligently he buried both the old pain from his lost bond with Elita and the new pain he felt from the day's earlier events deep into his mind and Spark, making a mental note to not tell Ratchet about doing so. The last time he had admitting to doing such a thing to his old friend, the medic had whacked him upside the helm and given him a rather biting lecture about how doing so was not healthy in the slightest.

"_You might be Prime, but if you keep everything bottled up inside, you're going to stress yourself farther than you can handle," _Ratchet had warned with genuine concern.

Optimus knew that Ratchet was right, but the other Autobots, and their human allies, looked to him for leadership, for guidance, for protection. They trusted him to bring them safely through this crisis, and he would not let them down. He could not let his own pain and self-doubts about the recent events, about _any _events, get in the way of what he knew he needed to do. He looked back at Trailbreaker, who was still soundly recharging. Too many depended on him for that.

Standing up from his chair, Optimus walked over to Trailbreaker's berth, reaching into it and grabbing the Sparkling's blanket. Straightening up, he tucked the blanket around the Sparkling as he returned to his desk, pulling a datapad out of it as he sat back down. He took a moment to make sure Trailbreaker was still held securely with his injured arm in a position where it couldn't be bumped or jarred by accident.

Optimus knew what needed to be done.

Galvatron had issued them a challenge, and the Autobots and their allies would rise to meet it.

The Prime focused his attention on the datapad he held in his right hand and got to work.

* * *

><p>It was getting progressively later in the night, he needed to recharge, but Prowl had no intention of leaving his silent vigil over Red Alert's body. Not yet.<p>

Red Alert deserved a guard, after what he had done. He had willingly sacrificed himself to save the Sparklings, and Prowl had every intention of honoring that choice by continuing to keep watch over his fallen friend during the night.

But Primus, it _hurt_.

It hurt, seeing one of his closest friends lying there, seeing Red Alert offlined in such a brutal way. Paranoid, perpetually anxious Red Alert. But he had been brave, too-doing his best to oversee the security of the base, fighting against the Decepticons, taking on the task of helping a former Decepticon become an Autobot, facing down Galvatron head-on in order to protect the five little Sparklings. He'd been a good friend, a good mentor, a good soldier. He didn't deserve what Galvatron had done to him.

So Prowl would continue to keep watch, honoring his friend's sacrifice by silently staying by his side one last time.

"This was my fault."

Prowl turned his head, momentarily surprised until he focused on Scattershot, who was sitting miserably in one corner. The former Decepticon had been so quiet since he had slipped into the room earlier that Prowl had almost forgotten he was there, until he had heard Scattershot's grief-filled whisper.

"Why would you say that?" Prowl asked quietly.

"I was so _scared_…" Scattershot wrapped his arms around his legs, staring at the floor. He looked so much like a hurt, lost Youngling that Prowl felt a rush of sympathy for the former Decepticon. "I should have stayed. But I was too scared, so when he told me to go get help, when he pushed me in the direction of that window… I…I ran. But…but… If I had been braver, he wouldn't have told me to go. If I stayed, I could have helped him, and maybe…"

Prowl crossed the distance to where Scattershot was sitting, and knelt next to him, putting a hand on the former Decepticon's shoulder. Scattershot looked up at him, and Prowl could see his own grief and pain over Red Alert's death reflected in the younger mech's optics. The Second-in-Command realized then that Scattershot was in just as much pain as he was. Red Alert had been his mentor, and even though they had only been working together a few short Earth weeks, the two had become good friends. Prowl had become friends with the younger mech as well, having spent a fair amount of time working with him and Red Alert during their various training exercises, and he had seen just how much Scattershot had looked up to his mentor. Losing him had struck a devastating blow to the younger mech, who had only recently started to come out of his nervous attitude around the others thanks to Red Alert's patient mentoring. It had reopened the old mental wounds Scattershot carried from the losses he had dealt with before-both the long-ago loss of his creators and his relatively recent exile from the only home he'd had since Younglinghood. Prowl silently berated himself for not realizing this sooner; he knew that while he preferred to deal with loss and emotional troubles on his own, most of the others did not, and needed help to work through it.

Well, he would provide that help now.

"It was _not_ your fault," Prowl said firmly. "Red Alert didn't tell you to go and get help because you were afraid, he told you to do so because he knew it was the only way Galvatron could be stopped. If you had stayed, Galvatron most likely would have killed you, too. There would have been no one to warn us of what was happening, and the Sparklings would have been lost."

Scattershot's optics widened slightly. It was obvious he had not thought about what the full ramifications could have been if he had stayed to fight Galvatron instead of going to warn the Autobots about what was happening, like Red Alert had ordered him to.

Seeing this, Prowl's voice softened, and he even offered the younger mech a small smile. "Thanks to you, we knew what was going on, and we were able to get back in time to save the Sparklings. You're the reason they're all safe, Scattershot."

Scattershot looked down, obviously thinking over what the older Autobot had said for a minute, then looked back up at Prowl. It was plain to see that the former Decepticon was still visibly upset about the events, but at least he no longer seemed to be blaming himself for what had happened to Red Alert. "I know I didn't know him for very long, sir, but he helped me a lot since he became my mentor and…I miss him."

"I know. So do I. It is all right to grieve over what happened," Prowl told the younger mech quietly. "But Red Alert sacrificed himself to save the Sparklings. He knew it would happen, yet he did it anyway. He was very brave, and we should honor his memory by remembering why he did what he did."

Scattershot raised his head, a determination present in his expression that hadn't been there before. "I will, sir. I always will."

Silence fell in the room for a minute as both mechs returned to thinking over the recent events.

Prowl wasn't sure exactly why he decided to say what he did then without asking Optimus Prime for permission first. However, he knew it was the right thing to do, and he had a feeling that Red Alert would approve of it whole-heartedly. Something told him that Optimus would also agree with what he was about to do and say. "I know Red Alert was a good mentor to you, and you learned a great deal from him. I also know he would not want you to be left on your own now." He looked back at Scattershot with an uncharacteristic hesitance. "I haven't been a mentor for quite some time, though."

Scattershot's head shot up. He looked at Prowl, the faint hope surfacing in his optics amid the pain and grief he was still feeling over the loss of his first mentor more than enough to show Prowl that the younger mech had been afraid of being left alone, with no mentor, even if he had not realized that until Prowl had mentioned it. "Really, sir? You…you would do that?"

"If you would like, yes," Prowl said with a small nod.

"Yes! I…I mean…I would, sir," Scattershot replied gratefully. "Thank you."

Prowl inclined his head respectfully towards the younger mech, and then returned his attention to his silent vigil over Red Alert, aware of Scattershot getting to his feet and coming to stand by his new mentor, so that he could do the same.

Even though the atmosphere in the room was still one of subdued grief and pain, Prowl felt that, at least for now, steps had been taken to begin patching the hole the loss of Red Alert had driven through the Autobots and their human allies. Not just for him, but for Scattershot as well.

They would grieve for him, but they would also remember his sacrifice, they would respect his choice, and they would honor him for what he had done.

And Prowl knew that was just what Red Alert would want.

* * *

><p>Sideswipe was still awake. His left arm was still somewhat sore from where the blade weapon integrated into it had been shorn off, the day's events were still too fresh in his processor for him to even try to attempt to recharge, and, most importantly, he wanted, <em>needed<em> to keep watch over Fireflight. He couldn't exactly do that if he was recharging, now could he?

Lying on his side with his head propped up on his uninjured arm, the silver-armored mech watched Fireflight recharge. The Sparkling was curled up next to him, covered by a thermal blanket, arms wrapped tightly around his stuffed owl as he recharged soundly. He looked peaceful enough, but Sideswipe knew that what had happened with Galvatron had scared Fireflight just as much as it had the other Sparklings, even though he hadn't acted like it at the time.

Yes, he hadn't been crying once Galvatron had fled and Sideswipe had gotten to him, and he'd only let out a few whines of protest when Ratchet had fixed the dents in his arm. The fact that Galvatron was gone and his caretaker was there seemed to be more than enough to calm him down then, but once everything had more or less settled down and Sideswipe had taken Fireflight back to their quarters for the night, the Sparkling's actual terror over what had happened became apparent. He'd already woken from recharge three times, sobbing and crying out in fear.

Each time, Sideswipe was there, gently soothing the Sparkling back into recharge with soft words of reassurance and a comforting hand on his tiny helm. He hated seeing Fireflight so upset. It made his Spark ache, seeing his Sparkling terrified like that. Combined with the memory of what had happened, what had _nearly_ happened, it all made him even more reluctant to leave the Sparkling, even by doing something as necessary as recharging himself.

As he watched Fireflight recharge, Sideswipe's thoughts drifted back to the night that Blaster had been taken by the Decepticons. He remembered the sickening fear he had felt at the thought of Fireflight being taken too, how desperate he had been to insure that never happened.

Yet it had almost happened today.

He'd almost lost him. Primus, he'd almost _lost_ Fireflight. The thought of what could have happened if things had turned out differently haunted him. But Scattershot had gotten to them in time to warn them of what was going on back at the base. Then Red Alert had willingly sacrificed himself to protect the Sparklings, buying the time the other Autobots had needed to be able to get back to the base in time to stop Galvatron from taking the Sparklings away. The loss of the red-armored mech hurt, but Sideswipe knew that he, like the other Autobots that were Sparkling caretakers, would always be grateful to Red Alert for his choice.

_Thank you, Red Alert,_ Sideswipe thought, silently honoring the fallen Autobot. _Thank you._

Next to him, Fireflight clicked a few times, hugging his owl plush tighter and burying his faceplate against it. Sideswipe watched him attentively, but the Sparkling didn't come out of recharge, and the silver mech relaxed. Not a nightmare this time, then. That was good. It was a sign that Fireflight was finally calming down, the earlier events of that day held back by his Caretaker's comforting presence.

"Don't worry, little Fireball," Sideswipe murmured quietly. "I'm not going to let _anything_ like that happen to you _ever_ again."

On the other side of the room, Sunstreaker groggily looked up from his berth, having been awakened from his own recharge by Sideswipe's voice, despite his twin's attempt to be quiet. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Sunny. Go back to recharge," Sideswipe replied, reaching over and carefully readjusting the blanket around Fireflight, feeling flash of guilt-he hadn't meant to wake his brother up.

Sunstreaker continued looking over at him, a look of concern on his faceplate. "Is Fire okay?"

"He's fine, at least right now. He's recharging, finally."

"That's good." Sunstreaker tilted his head to one side, considering his twin carefully. "You should get some recharge, too, Sideswipe. You're exhausted."

Sideswipe shook his head. "I can't." His voice was rough with emotion, and he looked back down at Fireflight. "You know I can't."

Sunstreaker partially sat up, mirroring his brother's posture by resting his head in one hand. "Yes, I know why you _think _you can't. But, Sides, you _know_ you can better protect him if you're rested. You told me that Prime said a battle's coming-our last stand. What good will you be if you're too tired to fight, how will you protect Fireflight then? You need to recharge."

The silver-armored mech let out a weary, frustrated vent. He knew Sunstreaker was right. He was exhausted, and the idea of recharging was appealing, but still…

"Don't worry." Sunstreaker was looking at him, his optics warm with understanding. "I won't let anything happen to Fireflight, either. You know that. Besides, even if they were to break into the base again tonight, no 'con is stupid enough to try anything with the two of us in here. Get some rest, Sides."

Feeling grateful at his brother's promise, Sideswipe smiled tiredly, holding up a hand as he teasingly held off any further 'commands' from his brother. "Alright, Alright. Point taken, Sunny. I'll recharge."

"Good," Sunstreaker said with satisfaction, flopping back down onto his berth with a grunt. "See you in the morning."

"Technically, it _is_ morning," Sideswipe said, feeling a tiny bit of his normal humor return as he lowered himself down onto his berth.

"I mean proper morning, when the sun is up." Sunstreaker waved a hand half-heartedly in his brother's direction. "Good night."

"Good night." Sideswipe protectively draped an arm around Fireflight, smiling slightly as the Sparkling let out a few more clicks and snuggled closer to him in his recharge. Feeling more at ease at last, the silver mech shuttered his optics and allowed himself to finally drift into a recharge of his own.

* * *

><p>Ratchet put the datapad he had been working with on his desk. Venting wearily, he shuttered his optics, rubbing his forehelm in frustration. He was no closer to finding a way to heal the damage to Chromia's Spark now than he had been back when he had first started trying to find one. It was looking more and more like there was truly nothing he could do to help her.<p>

_But Pit if I'm going to just give up,_ Ratchet thought fiercely, unshuttering his optics and glaring at the datapad for a moment before he leaned back in his chair. He was exhausted; the trying events of the day had finally seemed to have caught up with him, despite his attempts to hold them back as he worked. _Maybe I'll be able to find a solution after I get some more recharge._

The medic picked the datapad back up, turned it off, then put it in one of the drawers in his desk. He groaned softly as he got to his feet, taking a moment to stretch out the stiffness in his frame; he'd been sitting in that chair for hours, something that was not comfortable in the least, even for an Autobot like him who spent most of his time working.

Taking care to be quiet, Ratchet looked into the Sparkling berth he had pulled closer to his desk. A faint, tired smile came to the medic's faceplate when he saw Beachcomber and First Aid curled up together, both Sparklings soundly in recharge.

After everything had settled down as far as it could after what had happened and the medbay had emptied out-Firestorm had finally been given a quarters of his own, and Arcee and Chromia had as well, so it was back to being just him and his Sparklings in here-Ratchet had immediately begun to comfort Beachcomber and First Aid, sitting at his desk and holding both Sparklings close. He took care to keep them close to his Spark, quietly reassuring them that everything was fine, and that they were safe.

After a while, they had both calmed down enough to start to fall into recharge, and Ratchet had pulled one of their berths closer to his desk, sitting both of them inside, tucking them into their blankets. He would have continued to hold them, but it was getting more and more difficult to hold both of them at once-Beachcomber, like Trailbreaker, seemed to be getting bigger every day-and he would not hold one and not the other when they were both so upset; that would not help the matter at all. By moving the berth closer to his desk, he could keep an optic on them while he worked, but more importantly, he would be close enough that his presence would still make them feel safe. He also knew that letting them recharge in the same berth would comfort them. They were brothers, after all, and they had always been close, even back when he had first taken them in as tiny Hatchlings.

The two Sparklings had remained in the berth while Ratchet had worked. Beachcomber and First Aid's close proximity to each other combined with the knowledge that their caretaker was nearby allowed them to recharge on their own, just as Ratchet had hoped. They'd woken up a few times from nightmares, yes, but Ratchet had expertly soothed them back into recharge each time, and they were both now in what seemed to be a thankfully nightmare-free recharge.

Ratchet stood there, watching his Sparklings recharge for a moment. The medic knew how close he had come to losing them, just like he had lost Jolt, and it shook him deeply. He remembered the terror and helplessness he had felt when he had been locked in the medbay and come to the realization that the Sparklings were in danger. Galvatron could have taken them all, and he would have been able to do nothing to stop him, trapped in the medbay with his only way out being the time-consuming task of cutting through the door.

But it had not happened. Scattershot had warned Optimus and Red Alert had bought the Autobot leader and those with him the time they needed to get back to save the Sparklings. Even though it had cost the red mech his life, his Spark.

One of the medic's hands clenched into a fist. He had seen the damage done to Red Alert, had seen what Galvatron had done to his Spark chamber, and the sight had filled him with a mixture of sorrow, horror, disgust, and anger, and those emotions came back now as he thought about what had happened. He had seen plenty of terrible things during the war, but nothing like this. Sparks were lost, faded out, extinguished. As terrible as it was, it happened and was an unavoidable fact of life, especially during a war. However, complete mutilation of the Spark and Spark chamber, especially after the Spark had been extinguished, had never happened before, not in this way.

Well, yes, Optimus _had_ destroyed the Spark of the Fallen; he had crushed it, but he had had no other choice and had been haunted by what he had done long after that despite the fact it had needed to be done to save the planet.

But this was different, vastly different. Purposefully doing it, with the intention of causing the victim as much pain as possible, then further mutilating their body once they were gone…

It was unthinkable. Inexcusable. Even the Decepticons, who valued no lives save their own, had never physically touched the Spark chambers of the Autobots they killed at any time during the war. Shot at or otherwise targeted with other ranged weaponry, yes, but never _physically_ touched. It was an instinctive taboo so ingrained into Cybertronians as a whole that it had never happened, despite the Decepticons' lack of anything resembling morals. Once the Spark was extinguished, the offline had been left alone.

Now, things had changed, and it was horrifying. If this was what Galvatron was capable of, what he was willing to do to get what he wanted…

Shaking his head slightly, Ratchet let out a soft vent, focusing his thoughts away from what had been done and onto what could be done to at least try to right the wrong that had occurred.

He would see to it that the damage done to Red Alert's frame would be repaired, even though there was nothing that could be done for his Spark chamber or casing. He had done the same for every fallen Autobot, so that they could be laid to rest relatively whole. It was his way of paying respect to those he could not save.

Red Alert deserved it. He had died so that the Sparklings would be safe, and Ratchet would honor him by repairing his body so that he would not be put to rest bearing the scars of what had offlined him.

Reaching down into the berth, Ratchet gently picked up first Beachcomber, then First Aid, taking care to keep them both wrapped up in their blankets. Beachcomber, ever the sound recharger, didn't even stir, remaining in a deep recharge, but First Aid let out a few quiet clicks, unshuttering his optics and looking up at his caretaker sleepily as the medic went through the doorway next to his desk that led to the one-time storage closet that, being just large enough for a desk, chair, his berth, and two Sparkling berths with a small amount of walking space between- had been converted into his part-office-part-berthroom.

"Go back to recharge, First Aid," Ratchet soothed gently as he sat down on his berth, shifting his hold on the two Sparklings so they were secure against him, picking a few Sparkling toys off his berth and tossing them to one side before reaching over and flicking on the light next to his berth. He set it to a slight dimness that would prevent it from interfering with both his recharge and the Sparklings' but allowed for him to see easily enough without having to adjust his optics, just in case he needed to get up for any reason. "I'm right here."

He waited until First Aid had shuttered his optics and obviously gone back to recharge, before lying partially down and settling Beachcomber and First Aid next to him, pointedly ignoring the fact that their berths were against the opposite wall of the small room. Ratchet watched them for a minute, then he laid fully back onto the berth, activating his own recharge cycle so that he could be fully rested for what the next day would bring.

* * *

><p>Bumblebee was used to getting up in the middle of the night. It was a frequent occurrence when raising a Sparkling, even when said Sparkling normally recharged through the night now. There were the occasional nightmares and blankets kicked off-resulting in a cold Sparkling and therefore an awake and cranky Sparkling-and nighttime Energon feedings, though those very rarely happened now.<p>

So when he once again came out of recharge to the sound of Blaster whimpering fearfully, the young Autobot unhesitatingly sat up, ignoring his own exhaustion as he gently adjusted his hold on the Sparkling, making sure Blaster was still wrapped in his blankets. Bumblebee had decided to let Blaster recharge with him that night, owing to the fact that Blaster was still badly scared from what had happened earlier and his full-fledged separation anxiety had returned as a result. He had flat-out refused to let Bumblebee sit him in his own berth once it was his recharge time, crying pitifully and clinging to his caretaker desperately when the scout had gotten near it. Bumblebee didn't blame the Sparkling for that. Not in the slightest. He had been pretty badly shaken by what Galvatron had done himself and wanted to keep Blaster close. It comforted both of them.

When he had entered the Sparkling room with the others and had seen Galvatron standing there, in-between the Autobots and their Sparkling charges, it had scared him. A lot. He had been terrified that he was going to lose Blaster again, only this time it would have been much worse, not only because he had been there and been unable to do anything to prevent it, but because Galvatron had been threatening _all_ of the Sparklings, not just his. Fortunately, the Sparklings had been spared this time. Bumblebee didn't know what had made Galvatron suddenly turn and run, but he was grateful he had.

Blaster whimpered again, unshuttering his optics and looking up at Bumblebee blearily. Bumblebee made soft shushing sounds as he got up from his berth, hiding a faint wince as he did so. He might not have been badly injured, but he had still been knocked around a lot in the fight with the Decepticons. His entire frame ached, and the patched injury on his right side was still sore. At least he hadn't fought with Howlback again. He had a feeling he would have been more injured if he had-she seemed to really have it in for him for what he had done to Soundwave. He pushed the thoughts of the battle from his processor as he paced back and forth in front of his berth, continuing to soothe Blaster, gently rubbing small circles on the Sparkling's back with one hand. Usually, he would play music through his radio to calm Blaster down, but he couldn't right now. He was taking care to remain relatively quiet so he wouldn't disturb the other occupants of the room.

The room he was currently in was a different one than the quarters he'd had the last time he'd stayed on the base for a few days. As he and Blaster weren't the only ones staying in it this time, the room was bigger, with enough space for all its occupants. Bumblebee's berth was on the far right wall, close to the door, Blaster's Sparkling berth next to it. Next to the desk, two smaller berths had been set up for Wheelie and Brains; both former Decepticons were still soundly recharging. On the left side of the room, on the other side of the desk, Sam and Carly slept on another berth, which had been modified to serve as a human bed, complete with human-made pillows and blankets. Buster was curled up on a rug next to the berth, the large dog asleep like all of the other occupants of the room except for Bumblebee and Blaster.

Bumblebee paused in his pacing and looked over at Sam and Carly. After the fear of what had nearly happened to the Sparklings had died down, he had been hit-full force by worry for the other members of his family. He had been utterly relieved when the rubble in the medbay hall had finally been cleared and Sam, closely followed by Carly, Wheelie, and Brains, had run though to him. He had been immensely grateful that they hadn't been hurt, though he had felt bad about not trying to get through to them sooner and had tried to apologize for it. Sam, however, had had none of that.

"_Blaster was upset and you had to comfort him, and see to him first. Don't you apologize for that, Bee,"_ Sam had told him firmly.

He was relieved that Sam wasn't upset with him for not trying to get through the rubble to the other side of the base on his own, but remembering his friend's understanding made Bumblebee feel more than a little guilty. He hadn't spent much time with Sam lately, with what was going on with the Decepticons combined with the fact that he needed to spend most of his free time taking care of Blaster- though he and Sam had already talked about that and Bumblebee knew that Sam was perfectly fine with the fact that the scout needed to give more attention to the Sparkling due to his very young age. All in all, both Bumblebee _and_ Sam had been too busy working in their own particular jobs at NEST to just spend some time together as friends and family.

It wasn't like the last time he'd been on duty at NEST, though. At least this time, he was living with his human family, and he still saw Sam, and the other members of his family, on a daily basis, and spent time with them, however little amount of time that was. The young Autobot knew Sam understood why things were different, and he did too. Right now they needed to focus on beating the Decepticons and taking down Unicron, even though that meant they didn't see each other much aside from mornings and evenings. They didn't have to say anything to each other about it; they just knew that was how it needed to be.

Bumblebee knew he was lucky to have Sam for a best friend and brother. The human understood him better than he did himself, sometimes. Once things calmed back down, maybe they could spend some time together then, hanging out and driving around, just like they used to do.

But he would talk to Sam about the possibility of doing that later. Right now, Blaster needed him.

Blaster let out another quiet whine, burying his face against his caretaker's armor, and Bumblebee looked back down at the Sparkling, letting out another series of soft shushing noises. He gently maneuvered him closer to his Spark as he adjusted the blankets around him, then looked over his shoulder towards the door.

Maybe a walk outside in the hall would help settle Blaster. And, if he went to the main hangar, he would be able to play music for him without worrying about waking anyone up. His mind made up, Bumblebee turned and walked towards the door, opening it and closing it behind him after he walked through, taking care to be quiet. Although he had a feeling that he might not be the only Autobot awake at this hour, he didn't want to disturb those who _were_ recharging. He looked from one end of the hall to the other, then set off in the direction of the main hangar. Blaster's whimpers faded as the young Autobot headed towards the main hangar, replaced by soft clicks, showing a relieved Bumblebee that a walk had been just what the Sparkling had needed.

The first thing he noticed when he entered the main hangar was that it was much colder in there than it usually was. He immediately wrapped Blaster tighter in his blankets to keep him warm, though he couldn't help looking around curiously to find out where the cold air was coming from. It didn't take him long to discover the source-the gaping hole in the ceiling of the hall leading to the medbay and Sparkling room. It had been covered as much as it could be, with a large tarp, but that wasn't enough to keep the cold air from outside the base from coming in anyway. At least it was keeping out the rain.

As he looked over the damage done to the ceiling, Bumblebee was suddenly and unexpectedly hit full-force by what had happened in that hallway. His antennae flattened and his doorwings drooped as pain at the loss cut through his Spark. Red Alert was gone. He was _gone_. He had been one of the Autobots that Bumblebee had known since he had been very small, and the loss stung deeply. It wasn't the same kind of pained loss that he had felt when Ironhide had died, but still, Red Alert had been his _friend_. Bumblebee remembered the patrols he had gone on with Red Alert and Prowl, back when he and his family had just moved to Ohio, and how Red Alert had been kind, helpful, and encouraging on those patrols, albeit in his unique, anxious way. And now he was dead, his Spark torn out by Galvatron.

He'd been too caught up in the comforting of Blaster and his worry for the safety of his family to process it earlier, but now, he was hit with the reality of what had happened, and hit _hard_. Bumblebee just barely suppressed a pained whine at the memory of seeing Red Alert laying there, his Spark gone.

The feeling of a tiny hand on his chassis brought his attention back to Blaster. The little Sparkling was looking up at him, an expression of innocent concern on his faceplate. He could sense that Bumblebee was upset and hurting about something, and he was worried. He didn't like seeing his caretaker so sad.

"Bee?" Blaster asked hesitantly. The Sparkling's voice was timid and unsure, as he was still upset himself, but the innocent worry he was feeling for his caretaker was audible as well.

With a soft, comforting chirp, Bumblebee lifted Blaster a little higher in his arms, holding him close. Blaster let out a faint squeak, followed by a few contented clicks as he snuggled closer to his caretaker in response to the hug, affectionately rubbing a cheek against the scout's shoulder armor before resting his head against it. Bumblebee watched him, the loving smile he could not show with his faceplates visible in his optics. He hadn't meant to make Blaster worry-he was upset enough as it was-but still, the tiny Sparkling's concern for him had warmed his Spark, cutting through the pain and grief he had been feeling, allowing him to start to come to terms with what had happened. His grief was still there, of course, but it had lost most of its sharp, painful edge. Blaster had shown him what he had needed to see in order for that to happen.

_This_ was what Red Alert had died for. He'd willingly given his life to save the Sparklings. And while losing him still hurt and Bumblebee knew he would still be upset about it for some time, he also knew that he would always be grateful to the older mech for what he'd done.

The young scout tucked a loose corner of one of Blaster's blankets back around his Sparkling before turning away from the damaged hallway and making his way to the other side of the hangar, heading towards an Autobot-sized chair that had been left against one wall, where he could sit and finish calming Blaster back into recharge.

* * *

><p>The next day dawned cold and wet, with the sky still overcast, promising even more rain. Most of the residents of the base were not up and about yet, while those who were went about their tasks quietly. The atmosphere in the NEST base was still subdued, but there was a distinct change in it from what it had been the previous night. A hint of determination had joined the grief and righteous anger-the determination to do whatever was necessary to stop Galvatron and the Decepticons once and for all.<p>

Now they just had to figure out what exactly they _needed _to do to accomplish that.

In the quarters she shared with her older sister, Arcee finally gave up trying to go back into recharge and got up off of her berth-with some difficulty as she was still sore from the injuries she had received in the battle yesterday-and walked over to one of the nearby cabinets to get some Energon. Chromia was still in recharge, but the pink-armored femme pulled out a second Energon cube for her, so it would be there for her when she woke up.

Taking her Energon with her, Arcee walked over to the single window in the room. She vented quietly, then lifted the cube up and sipped a little bit of the Energon as she looked out at the gloomy gray sky, which perfectly reflected the mood of all those on the base after what had happened. It wasn't truly dark outside anymore, but it _was_ still relatively early. The pink-armored femme still felt physically tired, emotionally drained, and the healing injuries she bore were making themselves known by annoyingly sending small aches through her frame at regular intervals.

Even though she had taken part in the training with the others once Ratchet had given her the clear to return to regular duty, the battle yesterday had taken more out of her than she had thought it would. She hadn't been so worn down from a fight with the Decepticons in a very long time, and it wasn't something she enjoyed experiencing. Then again, this _had_ been the first real battle she had taken part in since she and Chromia had returned to the Autobots-it seemed she was more out of practice than she had thought, even with all of the training sessions she had taken part in. The battle that had followed after their ill-fated meeting with Galvatron and the other Decepticons had been meant to demoralize them, too, and it had done exactly that.

And then there was what had happened to poor Red Alert…

Not all of the injuries that the Autobots and their human friends were suffering from in the aftermath of yesterday's events were physical.

With a little shake of her head, Arcee decided to take her Energon with her and go to the main hangar-the walk there would serve the purpose of at least _beginning_ to exercise the aches out of her frame, as well as temporarily keep her processor off of what had happened yesterday at the base while she and the others had been gone. Arcee knew that she would need to face that pain eventually, they all would, but she didn't want to do so alone.

Taking care to be quiet, Arcee made her way over to the door; she did not want to run the risk of it waking Chromia up. Despite the fact that Chromia seemed to be much better and had been released to light duty, Arcee could still sense that something was off with her sister's health. However, every time she tried to bring it up, Chromia would shake her head and tell Arcee that there was nothing to worry about. Arcee didn't really believe that, but respected her older sister's desire not to talk about whatever the problem actually was. Regardless, Chromia still needed to take it easy-again Ratchet's orders-and Arcee would not disrupt that by accidently disturbing her recharge.

The pink-armored femme opened the door just as another Autobot was walking by. She smiled faintly when she saw who it was.

"Morning, Bumblebee."

_Huh? Oh, hi, Arcee, _Bumblebee greeted. His attention had been on Blaster, who was safe in the young scout's hold, and now there was a look of embarrassed worry on his faceplate as he looked at her._ I was trying to be quiet walking down the hall, but…I didn't wake you up, did I? I didn't mean to. I'm sorry if I did. Did I wake Chromia up?_

"I wasn't recharging. I woke up a while ago and couldn't fall back into recharge. You didn't wake me up, don't worry." She looked back over her shoulder, towards Chromia's berth and saw that her sister was still in recharge. "And you didn't wake Chromia, either. She's still recharging." Arcee returned her attention to her friend, noting with concern that he looked absolutely exhausted. "What are you doing up so early?"

_Blaster woke up again, just a little bit ago. He was upset and his empty tanks weren't helping. He hasn't had the most peaceful night._ Intense worry was visible in his optics as Bumblebee looked down at the Sparkling he was holding. The young scout was holding Blaster securely in one arm; the tiny Sparkling was wrapped up in his light blue blanket, holding an Energon bottle with both hands as he drank from it. He had the timid expression on his faceplate that Arcee had learned meant he was having separation anxiety-he was no doubt still upset about yesterday's events. Blaster also looked very tired, and it was now painfully obvious to Arcee that neither Bumblebee nor Blaster had gotten much recharge last night. However, the Sparkling's optics lit up when he saw Arcee, and he pulled the bottle out of his mouth so he could let out a happy squeak of greeting.

"Hi, Cee!"

"Hello, Blaster," Arcee said, smiling.

Blaster moved his head in an attempt to look around her into her quarters, then looked back up at her, then Bumblebee, then back at her again, a look of innocent curiosity on his faceplate as he tilted his head to one side. "Where Mia?"

"She's recharging, Sweetspark," Arcee explained, stepping out of her quarters and shutting the door behind her. "You can see her when she wakes up later."

"'kay," Blaster agreed, snuggling back against Bumblebee as he resumed drinking from his bottle.

Arcee smiled at the Sparkling again, then looked back at Bumblebee, her expression shifting into one of concern. "How is he?" She asked softly.

Bumblebee vented sadly. _For the most part?_ _Scared. Upset. He doesn't want me to put him down for very long, and he kept waking up last night. But it's not as bad as it was last time. At least this time…this time he wasn't actually taken, so while he's still scared and upset, he's not __**as**__ scared or upset because he knows he's still safe and with me. _

"That's good," Arcee replied.

_I know. And I'm happy that Blaster is safe. I don't know what I would've done if…well, I'm trying not to think about it. But…_ He looked at her, sorrow visible in his optics_. I…I do keep thinking about what happened to Red Alert. I mean, I'm grateful Blaster wasn't taken this time and that the other Sparklings are safe, and I told myself last night that I would remember that was why he did it…but still…it's hard to know that he's really gone._

Seeing the normally cheerful, upbeat Bumblebee so worried about Blaster and downcast about the previous day's events made Arcee feel a rush of sympathy alongside the own worry and sorrow she felt for little Blaster and the other Sparklings, and for what had happened to Red Alert. She put a hand on Bumblebee's arm. "I know, Bumblebee."

They were both quiet for a moment, then Arcee withdrew her hand from Bumblebee's arm. She thought she saw a brief flash of shyness and-a hint of self directed frustration?- in Bumblebee's optics when she did so, but it was gone so quickly she assumed she'd just been imagining things. She offered her friend a small smile.

"I'm going to the main hangar-I'm hoping the walk there will help ease the aches from my injuries. Do you want to come with me?"

Bumblebee perked up slightly at her offer. _Sure. I'm still pretty sore myself; maybe it'll help me, too. _He shifted his hold on Blaster, looking at the little Sparkling, who was holding the now-empty Energon bottle out at arm's length and studying it closely for some reason that only made sense to his young processor. _And maybe a walk will help tire Blaster into back into recharge now that he's had some Energon._

"You look like you could use an extra hour or two of recharge yourself," Arcee commented, looking over her friend in concern. The exhaustion she could see in Bumblebee's expression and in the way he carried himself worried her a little.

_I could._ _And I admit it would be nice._ Bumblebee shook his head. _But I'm used to going without recharge for a while. It's part of the package deal of raising a Sparkling, you know._

Arcee laughed quietly as she headed down the hall, Bumblebee walking beside her, welcoming the humor, as small as it was, as it briefly cut through the atmosphere of sorrow and anger that the base was wrapped up in. Bumblebee had always been able to cheer her up and make her laugh, even in gloomy situations like the one the Autobots were currently in. The fact that he could always see the bright side of things even when he himself was sad was one of the traits she most liked about him.

The two of them conversed quietly about random topics as they made their way to the main hangar, though Arcee knew that, like her, Bumblebee was actually thinking about what the Autobots were going to do to strike back against the Decepticons. However, neither of them voiced their thoughts on the matter, not wanting to discuss that particular topic around Blaster.

The thought of the approaching final stand was a source of anxiety and worry for the older Autobots, and there was no way they would subject any of the Sparklings to that, especially after what had happened last night.

* * *

><p>An hour or so after the base began to fill with the sounds signifying that most, if not all, of its inhabitants were now awake, Optimus was sitting at his desk once again, looking over the datapad he had worked on late into the night. Trailbreaker was sitting on his lap, his blanket draped around his shoulders, drinking his morning Energon-a bit awkwardly seeing as how he could only hold the bottle with one hand, though he was somehow managing not to spill it. He had been very quiet since waking up, and kept looking up at his caretaker, as if he was trying to make sure he was still there. Every time that happened, Optimus would give the Sparkling a faint, reassuring smile.<p>

The Autobot leader had stayed up relatively late, working to figure out the best way to combat the Decepticons, only stopping on it long enough to get some recharge, so that he would be rested and ready for what needed to be done. He was used to balancing long work hours with his recharge, and was perfectly able to function on less than a full recharge cycle, even more so since adopting Trailbreaker. This wasn't the first time that he had held off recharging so that he could find away to protect those he cared about. It wasn't the first time he'd stayed awake, mourning the loss of one of his Autobots, one of his friends.

And Optimus knew he had not been alone in doing so.

With a soft vent, he turned off the datapad. The plan was rough around the edges and needed refining-he would give it to Prowl for that-but it was the best hope the Autobots and their human allies had at the moment. In the meantime, he would speak with the others, tell them what they needed to do, and do his best to get all of them through it safely, to ensure that they lost no one else.

He sent a message over the short-range comms to all the Autobots on the base, telling them to make their way to the main hangar to discuss the previous day's events and what needed to be done about them, and to tell any humans they met on the way to come as well, receiving immediate agreement to his orders from all those he contacted, though Prowl had respectfully requested permission to remain where he was for the time being. Optimus granted the other mech that permission; he'd his doubts that Prowl would attend before he had even contacted him, but he understood why his Second-in-Command would make the choice not to and did not blame him for deciding to remain in his vigil over Red Alert. The Prime would simply have to seek him out once he spoke with the others. Task finished, he turned his full attention to Trailbreaker.

"Are you finished with your Energon, Trailbreaker?" Optimus questioned softly, looking at the Sparkling as he sat the datapad on his desk.

In response, Trailbreaker nodded, offering the now-empty bottle to Optimus, who took it.

Optimus sat the empty bottle on his desk-he would take proper care of it later-and, gently setting Trailbreaker on the floor, stood up. Taking care not to bump Trailbreaker's injured arm, the Prime took the blanket from around the Sparkling's shoulders, then walked over to Trailbreaker's berth and placed it back inside. That done, he returned to his desk, and, picking the datapad up off of its surface, he took Trailbreaker's right hand and led the Sparkling towards the door and out of their quarters.

Trailbreaker clung tightly to his caretaker's hand, practically gluing himself to the Prime's leg as they walked down the hall, in the direction of the main hangar. He was looking around nervously as he pressed against his caretaker, as if he expected that something was going to jump out and get him.

Optimus's Spark ached slightly at his Sparkling's actions; he knew that Trailbreaker was still scared from his encounter with Galvatron, but seeing it still filled the Autobot leader with both sympathy and sadness, alongside a faint thread of anger towards the one who had caused it. But anger would not help Trailbreaker, and Optimus brushed it aside, his expression softening as he looked down at the Sparkling.

"There is nothing to worry about, Trailbreaker," Optimus told him soothingly. "I am right here, and I promise that I will not let anything hurt you."

Trailbreaker relaxed at those words, slightly shifting away from his caretaker's leg, but he continued to cling tightly to Optimus's hand. "Where we going, Opt?"

"We are going to see your friends, little one," Optimus replied, giving the Sparkling a thoughtful look, once again noticing that Trailbreaker was speaking words fully that he, like the other Sparklings, had only spoken shortened versions of before. He still shortened some words, yes, but not as many as he had before his encounter with Galvatron-perhaps this was some effect of the trauma. The Autobot leader made a mental note to speak to Ratchet about Trailbreaker's suddenly improved vocal skills later. Hopefully it wasn't a sign of something negative in the Sparkling's development. "Would you like that?"

Trailbreaker nodded seriously. "Uh-huh."

Optimus gave the Sparkling a small smile, then turned his attention forwards as he and Trailbreaker entered the main hangar.

Only those Autobots who had Sparkling charges were there already, as were a small number of the human members of NEST. The human soldiers had been talking quietly with each other, but fell silent when they saw the Prime enter with his Sparkling charge. He nodded slightly at them before turning to look at where the other four Sparklings were and heading in that direction.

In light of the damage that had been done to the room the Sparklings had been in the day before, a few mats had been dragged to one side of the main hangar, alongside a handful of the large, soft blocks that had made up the perimeter of the play area when it had been fully set-up in the hangar. It was not as secure as the old play area had been, and was only a temporary one until the damage done to the door to the Sparkling room would be fixed later that day, but it would do for now, while they discussed what needed to be done.

Coming to a stop next to the temporary play area, Optimus gently lifted Trailbreaker up and set him inside. The red-and-blue armored Sparkling was immediately swarmed by the others, and soon all five Sparklings were clicking and squeaking as they huddled together, clinging to one another in what appeared to be a group attempt to comfort each other. Seeing the Sparklings' affection and concern for one another warmed Optimus's Spark in spite of the seriousness of the situation they were facing, and he looked up at those nearby. Ratchet, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee were there, of course, as were Sunstreaker, Sam, Carly, Wheelie, and Brains.

"Are we going to have a meeting, Optimus?" Ratchet asked, getting to the point immediately.

"Not a proper one. In the light of what happened yesterday, we have other matters to attend to at the moment." The Prime said, looking at the Sparklings before turning his focus to the other Autobots and humans near the makeshift play area. "But we must still discuss what needs to be done."

_We can't leave them,_ Bumblebee said, looking back down at the Sparklings worriedly.

"We will not," Optimus reassured the younger Autobot. "We will speak with each other here, nearby." He turned to look at the humans and Autobots standing further away from the play area, and, seeing that they were still watching him to see what he was planning to do, motioned them over. Looking back at the Sparklings, he saw that they were still hugging each other and clicking quietly, the fact that they were all together apparently working to comfort them just as much as the fact that their caretakers were still nearby. "We shall just have to keep our voices down, that is all."

Before any of the others could reply to the Autobot leader's words, the sound of approaching footsteps-both human and Autobot-made-signaled the arrival of those Optimus had told to assemble in the main hangar. Mirage was leading the rest of the Autobots; Silverbolt, Diesel, Chromia, and Arcee were following him, with Computron flying alongside the Aerialbot commander. Firestorm was walking a little ways behind the Autobots, and, behind the old Seeker, came several more of the human members of NEST, Will Lennox-who had taken complete charge as the previous night's events had resulting in Director Mearing once again being called back to Washington to discuss what was going on-among their number.

However, the newest member of the Autobot ranks was missing.

"Where is Scattershot?" Optimus asked Ratchet in an undertone, concerned at the lack of the former Decepticon's presence. "Did he ever return to the medbay last night?"

"I assume he's still with Prowl," Ratchet replied evenly in the same quiet tone the Autobot leader had used.

Optimus felt a rush of sympathetic understanding for what Scattershot was going through, and made a mental note to speak with him as well as Prowl once he had discussed things with those currently in the main hangar. He turned his full attention to the others as they gathered around him, signaling for them to speak quietly by indicating the Sparklings with one hand. Seeing the numerous nods of understanding, he focused on the task at hand.

"There are a few matters of importance for us to discuss. First…" Optimus looked at Computron, who had landed on the section of balcony railing near him. "Computron, have repairs been made to the communication and security systems?"

The little dragon-formed mech nodded. "Yes, Prime. Everything is up and running fully-functional again. Finished the repairs up late last night. Just in time, too-the Wreckers contacted the base just as soon as the repairs were complete. They gave me a message to pass along to you, sir."

"That is good to hear." Optimus paused, then continued. "What was the message the Wreckers gave you?"

"They told me that they, along with their human companions, should be arriving here sometime this afternoon. Based on what they figured, that arrival should be on or around one," Computron reported. He frowned slightly, a look of concern flashing across his faceplate. "I know it takes at least two days to get from where the Wreckers were in Florida to here. But judging by how little time it's taking them, they must be pushing themselves to get here more than they should safely do. I know we need their help, but…"

Optimus nodded respectfully at the smaller Autobot. "Thank you, Computron. I will speak to them about that when they get here. But now, there is something else we need to discuss." His voice and expression hardened, though he still took care to keep his words quiet. "The Decepticons."

The Prime looked over all those assembled around him. "Last night, Galvatron saw fit to not only deceive us, but brutally murdered two of our own and attempted to take the Sparklings away from us, injuring two of them in the process. In doing so, he has made it very clear that as long as his Spark still pulses, he will not stop trying to destroy us and all who dwell on this planet, no matter what they do or how young they are. We cannot allow this." He held up the datapad he had been working on since the previous night.

"What's that, Optimus?" Sam asked, looking at the datapad Optimus held with a mixture of curiosity, worry, and determination on his face.

"A battle plan for facing the Decepticons." Optimus's voice was steady and confident, working to reassure his friends that there was something they could do to stop the Decepticons. "It is far from perfect, but I am going to give it to Prowl; he will be able to refine it to what we need. However, there is a part of it that can be carried out now. Not a battle strategy, but rather a recon mission."

The Autobot leader looked back at Computron. "Computron, I am reluctant to ask this of you, as it is very dangerous. However, you are both capable of flight and small enough to get around unseen."

Computron's nervousness at the requested mission was visible in the way he gripped the railing he was perched on tighter with his claws, but he still nodded resolutely. "What is it, sir?"

"We need to know what Galvatron and the other Decepticons are doing. Thanks to Bumblebee," Optimus nodded in the young scout's direction, "We know that they returned to the factory they were using as a base after they attacked us in the field, but we do not know if they have moved since then. I need you to fly there, and see if the Decepticons are still inside. Use the ventilation shafts-observe Galvatron and try to see what he is planning, if you can. But if there is even the slightest danger of you being discovered, leave immediately. Do not take any unnecessary risks. I do not want you to be hurt."

The small mech nodded, though his anxiety about his mission was clear to see. "Yes, sir. I'll do my best."

"Mirage," Optimus continued, looking at the red-armored mech next. "Go with Computron; you are to wait outside the base and assist him in getting away if needed."

"I will, Prime," Mirage replied in acceptance, a look of slightly eager anticipation on his faceplate.

"Optimus, if I may…" Ratchet spoke up then, before Optimus could say anything more. At the Prime's consenting nod, the medic turned to Computron. "I can help you, Computron. We might not have the signal dampeners that the Decepticons do, but I think I can come up with a way to mask your signal enough so that you will be harder for their scans to pick up. You won't be completely invisible to them, but it will help."

Computron relaxed, his wings drooping faintly with relief. Seeing this, Optimus felt a flash of regret at that fact that he had asked the smaller mech to undergo such a dangerous mission alone. Normally, he would have asked Bumblebee to go-as a scout, the young Autobot was used to carrying out missions like this on his own-and if it had been a simple observation task, Bumblebee _would_ have the one going. However, it wasn't, and an Autobot of Computron's size was more suited to this type of reconnaissance. Computron was small enough and quick enough to slip into the Decepticon base unnoticed though the ventilation shafts, and Optimus also knew that Computron both understood that he needed to be the one to do this, and would do so willingly despite his nervousness. It had not been an easy decision for him to make, and he felt grateful that Ratchet had mentioned this extra security measure to help Computron. He had thought of something similar himself, but the medic had spoken up about it before the Autobot leader himself had.

"Thank you, Ratchet," Computron murmured gratefully.

"Yes, thank you, Ratchet," Optimus agreed, giving his old friend an appreciative look before once again turning to Computron. "Computron, please understand that I am reluctant to ask you to partake in this mission-I do not like the idea of putting you so close to danger with no one to assist you while you are actually inside the Decepticon base. But the fact remains that you are the best Autobot for what needs to be done, and I have every faith that you will succeed, especially with what Ratchet has suggested to help you. And remember-Mirage will be there to help if you need it."

Computron nodded, straightening up as the nervousness that had been present in his expression before faded completely. "Yes, sir. I won't let you down, I promise."

"And neither will I," Mirage said in agreement.

With Computron and Mirage both settled in what they had to do, Optimus turned his attention back to the group as a whole. "Once Computron has gathered the information we seek and both he and Mirage have returned, the Wreckers and the others arrive, and Prowl has had time to look over the battle plan, we will be able to know just how and where we must meet the Decepticons in battle. In the meantime, we will tend to those who need us the most now." The Prime glanced back at the Sparklings as he said this.

"I don't think we'll find a shortage of things to do while we wait," Will said pointedly. "We need to fix that gaping hole in the ceiling, as well as the busted medbay lock and door to the Sparklings' room."

"And we have a memorial service to arrange," Optimus added, voice subdued with quiet grief as, with the matter of the Decepticons dealt with for the time being, the pain from last night's events returned to the surface.

Silence fell in the hangar then, Autobots and humans alike looking down as they remembered the two friends that they had lost the previous night.

The silence stretched unbroken for several minutes, then, the gathered members of NEST dispersed. Those who had been assigned the various repair duties going to get what they needed to start work, while the others either returned to their quarters or, in the case of those Autobots with Sparkling charges and a few others, remained in the hangar.

After a few more minutes, Optimus turned to the Autobots and humans who had remained.

"I will go and speak with Prowl now." He looked at Trailbreaker, who was still huddled together with the other Sparklings, but was also watching him intently, giving Optimus the feeling that his Sparkling had been paying close attention to him throughout the entire discussion between the members of NEST, as if he was trying to make sure that his caretaker wasn't going to go anywhere. However, now, he _did_ have to go elsewhere on the base. The Prime did not want to leave Trailbreaker behind, but where he was going was someplace that the Sparkling did not need to be.

Optimus knelt next to the play area, his voice gentle as he addressed Trailbreaker, who edged closer to the Prime, though he still made sure to stay relatively close to the other Sparklings. "I have to go speak with Prowl for a moment, Trailbreaker. You will have to stay here, but I promise you will be fine."

Trailbreaker was quiet for a moment, looking up at Optimus with trusting optics and an expression that told the Prime he was carefully thinking over what his caretaker had told him. Finally Trailbreaker nodded, the look on his faceplates shifting from thoughtful to incredibly serious. "Okay, Opt."

The Autobot leader gave his Sparkling charge a small smile, gently resting one hand on Trailbreaker's head. He was relieved that Trailbreaker was not panicking about the separation; apparently, his earlier promise that he would let nothing hurt the Sparkling had reassured him enough to keep him relatively calm, though it was obvious he was still anxious. "Thank you, little one. Stay with your friends; I will not be gone long."

He straightened up and looked at the others, nodding respectfully at them. "I will be back shortly."

With one last glance at Trailbreaker, Optimus turned and headed out of the main hangar, making his way towards the room where Prowl-and Scattershot, if Ratchet had been correct in his assumptions-was still standing guard over Red Alert's body. He glanced briefly at the datapad he still carried in his right hand, knowing that the continued safety of his friends, allies, and family…and those of the entire planet…depended on the plan it contained. He knew that together he and Prowl would make it so that it would be successful and the Decepticon threat would finally be truly eradicated.

Optimus did not let himself dwell on what would happen otherwise.

* * *

><p>Neither Scattershot nor Prowl had said anything to each other after the Autobot Second-in-Command had extended an offer to mentor the former Decepticon in Red Alert's place, but they didn't need to. After their earlier discussion, their thoughts were focused on the same thing, and through his own pain, Scattershot found himself amazed that he was grieving alongside another individual, that he was being <em>allowed<em> to grieve in the first place.

When he had been among the Decepticons, Scattershot had never seen any of the others mourn those who had been killed in battle. Such displays were considered a weakness, and the weak did not survive there. But he had never been as hard-Sparked as nearly all of the others. He'd had friends, actual friends-_Are they okay? How many of them are still alive? I know I'm an Autobot now and they're still Decepticons, but they were the only friends I had for the longest time and I miss them. I really, really hope they won't get hurt in the battle that's coming, maybe I can convince them to stand down_-among those considered useless by Megatron; they had learned to rely on each other since the others would not help them when they needed it, and rare, true friendships had formed among the lowest-ranked Decepticon soldiers. Of course, being useless didn't stop Megatron from throwing them on the frontlines as a living shield for the others, and Scattershot had lost track of the number of times he had hidden in empty storage rooms or the service tunnels beneath the pits in Kaon in order to safely grieve over a friend who had died on a patrol or raid.

But here, he didn't have to hide. The Autobots were far more open with their emotions, and grieving the loss of a friend wasn't considered a weakness-far from it. And, in some odd way, it was comforting to Scattershot to finally be able to mourn alongside others, to see that he wasn't the only one who felt sorrow over what had happened.

Losing Red Alert had _hurt_. Hurt in a way Scattershot had not experienced since his creators had been brutally murdered right in front of him as a Youngling. Well…losing his creators had hurt _more_ because, well, they were his _creators_, but still…Red Alert had been his mentor. His friend. An Autobot who had extended the hand of friendship despite his own misgivings and had done his best to help Scattershot fit in. And now he was gone.

Yes, it hurt.

But knowing that he wasn't alone in feeling that pain helped ease it, just a little.

The sound of the door opening pulled Scattershot from his thoughts, and he looked up, straightening to attention when he saw Optimus Prime entering the room. Out of the corner of his optic, he saw Prowl do the same, stepping forward to greet the Autobot leader.

"Prime," Prowl said softly in greeting.

Optimus looked at his Second-in-Command, then at Scattershot. The expression on his faceplate was a mixture of sympathy, understanding, and pain. "Prowl, Scattershot. I know that the loss of Red Alert has hurt the both of you terribly. But know that you are not alone in your grief. We all feel his loss, we all mourn him, and we will honor him by remembering why he sacrificed his Spark." He looked over at the table where Red Alert's body lay. "I will personally arrange an honor watch. It will begin after Ratchet has had the chance to see to his damaged frame."

"What…what does that mean, sir?" Scattershot asked in a quiet voice, looking at the Prime with honest confusion. "'See to his damaged frame'?" A sudden trepidation flashed though his Spark as the words left his vocal processor and he tensed slightly; what if Optimus took his words the wrong way? He still knew so little about the majority of Autobot ways and customs.

"Among the Autobots, we do our best to repair the damage done to those who have fallen," Optimus replied, no judgment in his voice or expression as he explained the meaning behind his words to the former Decepticon, causing the tension to leave Scattershot as he listened to the Prime. "This way, they will be laid to rest as whole as possible, without the scars of their suffering."

"Oh…that's…" He looked down, considering, struggling to find the right words. _Honorable? Respectful? A level of kindness the Decepticons would never…no, never __**did**__ show?_ Relief and a new level of respect for the Autobots as a whole was filling his Spark at this new information, and Scattershot looked back up at the Autobot leader, settling for expressing his gratitude and respect for the way the lost Autobots were treated with a soft, "Thank you, sir."

Optimus gazed at him with a sad kindness in his optics, nodding in acknowledgement of his thanks, but he didn't say anything.

In the following silence, Scattershot noticed that Prowl was looking at him. He returned the older mech's gaze curiously, then blinked as Prowl turned to Optimus and began speaking. "Sir, I know that protocol dictates that I should receive your permission first, but I already asked Scattershot this, and he agreed. With your permission, sir, I would like to take Red Alert's place as Scattershot's mentor."

The Autobot leader regarded both Second-in-Command and former Decepticon for a long moment. The silence went unbroken long enough that Scattershot began to feel a little nervous again. He'd lost the bulk of his anxiety and fear around the other Autobots-mostly-and now knew that Optimus was a fair, even kind, leader, not a cruel one; still, he didn't know what the Prime's reaction to this would be, especially since Prowl had initially asked him about it instead of Optimus.

At last, the Prime looked directly at Scattershot and spoke, his voice warm with sympathy. "It can be hard to move on to a new mentor if your first one has been offlined, especially if it has happened so soon into your relationship."

"I know, sir." Scattershot's voice was quiet. "But…" He straightened up, the determination he had felt the previous night filling him again as he evenly met Optimus's optics. He knew the Prime was right, and that moving on with a new mentor would be hard, even though he'd formed somewhat of a friendship with Prowl already. But Red Alert had been incredibly brave- Scattershot would never forget him. He'd do his best to honor his friend's memory by being brave himself and working hard to become the Autobot Red Alert had told him that he could be. _No more being frightened like I was last night. Being brave starts __**now**__. _ "I'm willing to try if Prowl is, sir."

As Scattershot continued to hold the Prime's optics evenly and respectfully, he was suddenly aware of how much he had actually changed since Red Alert had begun mentoring him. As of this moment, he wasn't the scared, helpless Youngling who had seen his creators murdered or the frightened, beaten down Decepticon who had been captured in the attack on the NEST base anymore.

He was an _Autobot_.

Sensing the change in the former Decepticon's demeanor, Optimus regarded him closely for another long moment before he spoke again. "Very well. Prowl." He turned to look at the black-and-white armored Autobot before speaking the words the assigning of a mentor and apprentice that the particular situation required. "I am assigning you to be Scattershot's mentor in Red Alert's place. I know that the loss of your first mentor will make this change difficult, Scattershot. However, I know that together, both you and Prowl can overcome it." Looking at both Prowl and Scattershot, Optimus nodded once.

Prowl offered Scattershot his right hand and the younger mech touched it with his left in the gesture of an apprentice greeting his new mentor-the very same gesture he and Red Alert had given each other after the older mech had agreed to mentor him.

The echo of that first greeting was enough to let Scattershot feel that maybe, just maybe, things would be alright again. Not right away, but eventually.

It was enough.

* * *

><p>Optimus watched Prowl and Scattershot, relief filling his Spark at the sight of the two mechs performing the greeting of a mentor and apprentice. He knew that they would be able to help each other recover from what had happened the previous day. It was yet another step in the healing process that both Autobot and human would undergo in the days to come.<p>

"Was there anything else you wanted to speak with us about, Optimus?" Prowl asked respectfully after a few moments had passed, lowering his hand and looking at the Autobot leader as Scattershot moved to stand beside him. Now that the solemn moment was over, Optimus could clearly see the exhaustion lining Prowl's faceplate, and he made the decision to address it as soon as he had given Prowl the other reason for his seeking the Second-in-Command out.

"Yes, there is." Optimus held out the momentarily-forgotten datapad that he had brought with him, offering it to Prowl. "This datapad contains a battle plan for facing the Decepticons that I wrote last night and this morning. Keep in mind that it is very rough," he explained as Prowl took the datapad and began looking through the information it contained. "I want you to look over it and make any changes you feel would improve it. Also, if you find any mistakes or discrepancies, please correct them."

"I see," Prowl murmured as he continued looking over the information, his expression shifting to one of intense concentration. Next to him, Scattershot stretched up a little to see the datapad himself, and Prowl lowered it slightly so that it was closer to the slightly shorter mech's optic range.

The sight made Optimus smile slightly. "And Scattershot may help you, if you wish. He will be learning such things as your apprentice, after all."

"I'll get started on this right away," Prowl said, looking up from the datapad.

Optimus, however, shook his head. He'd known Prowl would say that, and while the plan needed revising, he could see that now was not the time for Prowl to do so. "No, you will not, Prowl. You did not get any recharge last night, did you?"

"No. I didn't…I _couldn't._" Prowl looked back at where Red Alert lay, then turned again to Optimus. 'But, Prime, this battle plan is needed. It is important. I must work on it as soon as possible."

"And you can. After you get some recharge." Optimus's voice was gentle but firm. "With a lack of recharge, you could make mistakes, mistakes that could be easily avoided."

Prowl's shoulders lowered slightly in defeat as he acknowledged the wisdom of what Optimus was saying. "And mistakes are something we can't afford right now. But…" He looked at Red Alert once again, pain resurfacing in his optics.

"I will stand watch until Ratchet comes for him," Optimus said quietly, his voice sympathetic. "He will not be left alone."

Prowl hesitated one more moment, then nodded. "Thank you, Prime."

Optimus inclined his head in Prowl's direction. "Go, take a few hours' recharge. After you have done so, then-and _only_ then-can you start working on that datapad I have given you." He looked at Scattershot. "You, too, Scattershot. Go and get some rest. You can help Prowl later."

"Yes, sir," Scattershot said, before following his new mentor as the older mech headed towards the door.

Optimus watched the two other mechs as they left the room. Once the door shut behind them, the Autobot leader turned and took the few steps that brought him to the table where Red Alert had been laid out. Optimus stood respectfully by the fallen mech's side, once again holding onto the knowledge of why Red Alert had sacrificed himself and who he had saved in doing so. He would never forget that.

None of them would.

When the sound of the door opening once again disrupted the silence in the room, Optimus looked up, not surprised to see Ratchet standing there. The medic's expression weary, sad, and respectful all at once.

"I gave Computron the sensor modification. He and Mirage left for the Decepticon base a few minutes ago." Ratchet's voice was quiet as he entered the room, the door closing behind him as he walked towards Optimus. He looked over to Red Alert, coming to a halt beside the Autobot leader. "I can take over now, Optimus."

Optimus laid a hand on Ratchet's shoulder. This was not the first time Ratchet had done this. But the Prime knew it was not something that was easy for the medic to carry out-repetition did not take the edge off of something like this. "I know you will carry this out with the honor and respect he deserves."

"He didn't deserve _this_." Ratchet's voice was bitter as he gestured at Red Alert's frame, though Optimus could hear the deep pain beneath the surface of the medic's words.

"No, he did not," Optimus said, his own sorrow tingeing the edge of his voice. "But we must remember why he did it, old friend."

"I don't think I'll ever forget." Ratchet took a deep vent, then straightened up, visibly steadying himself for what he needed to do. "I'll let you know when I've finished. Then we can arrange the honor watch."

"Thank you, Ratchet." Optimus kept his hand on his old friend's shoulder for a moment, then removed it and turned away, exiting the room so that Ratchet could carry out the next step in honoring Red Alert's sacrifice.

* * *

><p>He might have been very young, but Trailbreaker wasn't blind to the fact that all of the Autobots and humans, both those that had been in the hangar and left and those that were still here, were very, very upset about something. Even Prowl and Scattershot, who had briefly passed through the hangar on their way back to their individual quarters, had seemed downcast.<p>

It wasn't something Trailbreaker had experienced often, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it when his friends or anyone else was upset; it was awful when his friends and family were sad, and it made him feel sad too.

Trailbreaker knew why his friends were upset. That strange mech who had hurt both him and Fireflight before Optimus and the others had driven him off was the reason for that. That had been really frightening for all of them, and it wasn't something that any of the Sparklings would get over soon-at their young ages they were unable to deal with trauma such as that as well as the older Autobots and humans were. Although too young to reason it out in such a technical way, Trailbreaker knew that was why his friends were still upset. He was still scared and anxious about it too, but Optimus had promised him that he wouldn't let anything hurt him, and his caretaker would never _ever_ lie to him. Besides, even though Optimus had left-but he was going to come back soon because he said he would-the other older 'bots were here now, and if that scary mech tried to come near them again there was no doubt in Trailbreaker's young processor that they would chase him away.

But his friends were still scared, so Trailbreaker stayed close to them so they would feel better. It made him feel better, too. His friends were still here; that scary mech hadn't taken them away.

And that brought him back to what he was currently trying to puzzle out-why the other Autobots and humans seemed so _sad_.

Looking around the hangar once more, safe in the play area with his friends, Trailbreaker saw all the other Autobots who were still in the hangar-Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Arcee, Chromia, Wheelie, and Brains. Sam and Carly were there too, and a few humans that Trailbreaker knew by sight but hadn't interacted with enough to know their names yet. Some of those humans were fixing that big hole in the ceiling, and Diesel was there, too, helping them, it looked like. Optimus, Ratchet, Computron, Mirage, Prowl, Silverbolt, Firestorm, and Scattershot had been there earlier, but left. Trailbreaker knew that they were still on the base-though he had heard Optimus saying something about Mirage and Computron leaving for a little bit-and again, realizing that he and his friends were surrounded by the older Autobots and humans who would protect them made him feel a whole lot safer.

Suddenly, Trailbreaker realized something. He looked around the hangar again, a tiny frown on his faceplate. Where was Red Alert? He wasn't here, and the Sparkling couldn't remember seeing him earlier when all the other Autobots had been in the hangar. Trailbreaker knew that whenever the adults had those serious things Optimus called "meetings", all of the other Autobots showed up. But Red Alert didn't this time. And now that he was thinking about it, Trailbreaker realized he hadn't seen the older Autobot since the red-armored security officer and Scattershot had left him and his friends in that room, right before the scary mech had found them. Red Alert had told them to sit tight and that he and Scattershot would come back soon, but they hadn't. Instead that scary mech had come in, hurt him and Fireflight, and then Optimus had arrived with the others and made him go away. He'd seen Scattershot today, but not Red Alert.

Trailbreaker thought over this as best as he could.

Red Alert was missing. The others were sad about something. Was it Red Alert? That scary mech had hurt him and Fireflight, had he hurt Red Alert, too? Trailbreaker liked Red Alert, all of the Sparklings did; he was nice. He didn't want the older mech to be hurt.

But where _was_ he?

The Sparkling's increasingly worried train of thought was cut off when he heard the familiar sound of his caretaker's footsteps approaching the main hangar from the direction of the medbay. Trailbreaker looked up at his caretaker as Optimus walked towards him. He could see the same look of sadness on the Prime's faceplate, and the sadness he felt at seeing his caretaker as upset as everyone else quickly brought the Sparkling's processor back to the question he'd been trying his best to find the answer to.

He'd ask Optimus. Optimus would know.

Trailbreaker carefully made his way over to the edge of the play area, doing his best to keep as close to his friends as possible while getting close to his caretaker as well. Optimus, seeing the Sparkling's actions as he arrived next to the play area, favored Trailbreaker with a faint, reassuring smile before turning to look at the other Autobots and humans near the play area.

"I have given the plans over to Prowl; he will look over and revise them after he has taken a few hours' recharge. Ratchet has also informed me that Computron and Mirage have left for the Decepticon base, and he is tending to…" Optimus cast a look in the direction of the Sparklings, choosing his next words carefully. "Other matters." He looked at Chromia and Arcee. "Chromia, Arcee, will you look after Beachcomber and First Aid until Ratchet comes for them, if he does not return before it is time for their afternoon recharge?"

"Of course," Chromia replied, while her sister nodded in agreement.

"Thank you." Optimus turned back to the play area to check on Trailbreaker, and noticed that the Sparkling was giving him a look that was almost hesitant, but also worried and sad. Seeing that he had his caretaker's full attention, Trailbreaker looked up at him.

"Opt?" He asked, his voice quiet, hesitant.

The Prime immediately lowered himself closer to Trailbreaker's level, looking him in the optics. "What is it, Trailbreaker?"

Trailbreaker looked down nervously for a moment before he looked back up at his caretaker. "Opt, where…where Red 'lert?"

A pang of grief and surprise shot through Optimus's Spark, and he just barely was able to prevent himself from rocking back at hearing the Sparkling's question. He mentally berated himself for not realizing that of _course_ Trailbreaker would notice that Red Alert was gone. The Sparkling was young but perceptive and was able to figure out things remarkably well despite his age. No doubt he had noticed the sad atmosphere within the base and the fact that Red Alert was not there among all the others at the meeting or later, and had pieced them together as being related, something that the other Sparklings were most likely not old enough to do unless it was actually pointed out to them. But despite that, would Trailbreaker be able to fully understand why Red Alert was no longer there? Optimus had known that Red Alert's absence would have to be explained to the Sparklings at some point, but he had not expected it so soon. As the Prime considered how to best proceed, a memory of explaining a similar situation to Bumblebee on Cybertron long ago surfaced. But that had been different; Bumblebee had been older then than Trailbreaker was now-a Youngling, not a Sparkling- and had been able to understand the situation as it actually was. How could he explain this to a _Sparkling_?

"Trailbreaker…"

"You sad," Trailbreaker continued, looking up at his caretaker worriedly, and then he was pointing around the room with his right hand. "You _all_ sad, see that. And Red 'lert _gone_. That why? He hurt, Opt?"

Out of the corner of his optic, Optimus noticed that the other four Sparklings were now paying attention to him and Trailbreaker, and realized that they had noticed the same things Trailbreaker had, and, now that the oldest Sparkling had voiced his worries, had also finally connected the sadness of the others to Red Alert not being there themselves. He would not lie to Trailbreaker, or any of the little Sparklings, but he knew that he had to choose his words very carefully.

"Yes, he was hurt." The Autobot leader was aware of the others nearby-both Autobot and human-were now also paying full attention to him, but he focused on Trailbreaker. "Trailbreaker, little one, you know about Sparks, right?"

Trailbreaker nodded, pointing at the place where his caretaker's armor covered his Spark Chamber before pointing at the place where his simple Sparkling armor covered his own tiny Spark. "Uh-huh. Sparks there, make us who we is."

"Who we are, yes," Optimus said quietly. "But sometimes, when a Cybertronian is hurt very badly, their Spark has to leave, and, when that happens, the Cybertronian has to leave, too."

Trailbreaker looked up at Optimus, his optics widening before narrowing slightly in thoughtfulness. "Red 'lert's Spark…his Spark leave? Red 'lert leave 'cause hurt?"

"Yes."

Trailbreaker was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Leave the base?" At Optimus's nod, the Sparkling continued. "Where he go?"

Optimus heisted briefly before continuing, still carefully choosing how he worded his explanation to the Sparkling. "Red Alert has gone to a place where he is no longer hurting, little one."

"When come back?"

His own Spark heavy with the pain of Red Alert's loss and the guilt of having to tell his Sparkling, all of the Sparklings, about death so young, Optimus shook his head. "Red Alert is not coming back, Trailbreaker."

"Not come back?"

"No." Optimus's voice was soft, sad. "Red Alert had to leave us forever."

Trailbreaker fell silent at his caretaker's words, and, as he fully realized what he had just been told, his expression shifted to sadness. Wordlessly he reached for Optimus, and the Prime gathered his Sparkling into his arms, holding him close as he began to let out quiet whimpers. Optimus could hear the others moving to comfort their own charges-with Arcee and Chromia taking care of Beachcomber and First Aid-as they, too, began to cry as the Prime's words fully sunk in.

The Prime didn't think that any of the Sparklings, even Trailbreaker, truly understood exactly what had happened to Red Alert. But they _did_ understand that a mech that had always been there, a mech that had taken care of them on several occasions, a mech that they had all liked, had left them and would not come back again. It was a harsh thing for such young Sparklings to have to learn, and Optimus once again felt combination of pain and guilt alongside the hint of anger towards Galvatron for what he had done. This was why they had to stop the Decepticons once and for all-so that the Sparklings and everyone else on Earth would never have to be subject to pain caused by Galvatron's actions ever again.

With a heavy vent, Optimus touched his helm to Trailbreaker's much smaller one in a comforting gesture, knowing that it would help soothe the Sparkling, even though he also knew it would be just as long of a path to healing from the loss of Red Alert for the Sparklings as it would for the older Autobots and humans on the NEST base.

And, for the Sparklings, this was only one of the first few steps to that far-off point of healing.

But every step counted.

* * *

><p>It had taken Ratchet hardly any time at all to come up with and then upgrade Computron's sensors to mask his signature. It wasn't perfect, but it would hide the little mech enough for what he was going to do; only an exceptionally observant Decepticon would be able to pick up Computron's signal now, but, judging by what Optimus had told them of the state of the Decepticons as a whole, Ratchet and Computron thought it highly unlikely that looking for such a thing would be on the forefront of any 'con processor. Still, Ratchet had repeated the Prime's cautions to Computron before the other Autobot left, emphasizing just how carefully he needed to proceed.<p>

"Don't worry, Ratchet, I'll be careful."

"You'd better," the medic had said sternly, though genuine concern had been bleeding into his voice. "I don't want to see you in the medbay as a result of you taking any unnecessary risks. After…"

"I know, Ratchet." Computron had dipped his head slightly. "I understand. Thank you for the upgrade."

"Get going, then," Ratchet had replied gruffly.

At that, Computron had nodded gratefully at the medic one more time, then turned and flew out of the medbay.

It seemed that conversation in the medbay had been hours ago, but in reality it had only been about thirty minutes, and Ratchet's warning about being cautious was still fresh in Computron's processor regardless of how much time it had felt like or had actually passed since then.

Computron's initial nervousness about the task Optimus had assigned to him hadn't exactly disappeared, but it had faded. Now that he was actually carrying it out, knowing that Mirage was there for backup and that the sensor upgrade Ratchet had given him masked him somewhat from the Decepticons, said nervousness had been pushed to the back of his processor where it wasn't bothering him. Not much, at least. In any case, the trip from the NEST base to the abandoned human factory that the Decepticons were using as their headquarters had helped him focus.

_This is what I'm good at,_ the small black and silver mech told himself as he winged his way through the trees that surrounded the factory. _Surveillance, recon, and spying missions in tight quarters, that's me._

He'd since left Mirage behind, but with the long-range comms back up and running that wouldn't matter-he'd be able to contact the other Autobot easily enough if things went wrong. Hopefully, though, that wouldn't be necessary. With his new sensor upgrade and natural talent when it came to spying in situations like this, he would most likely be able to get in, see what he needed to see and hear what he needed to hear, then get out with the Decepticons none the wiser.

Of course, it didn't hurt to have backup waiting, just in case.

The abandoned factory finally came into sight, and Computron slowed his approach, taking the time to circle around the building, carefully examining the entire outside of the structure and measuring his options on how to proceed very, very carefully.

Strangely enough, there were no guards outside, and he wasn't picking up any Decepticon signals near the entrances either. _They must be using those signal dampeners again,_ Computron thought, but a wider scan made him blink in surprise as he picked up what appeared to be every Decepticon signal from the group that had attacked the Autobots yesterday, clustered together in several of the inner rooms of the factory.

_No guards, and they aren't even bothering to mask their signals?_ A sense of unease filled Computron once again as he flew in the direction of an outside vent that his scan had told him would take him to a system of shafts that would eventually lead him to one of the rooms the Decepticons were in. _What are they playing at here, exactly?_

The whole situation screamed danger, but Computron ignored it and wrenched aside the grating covering the vent, catching it in his back claws before it could clatter to the ground far below and give away his presence, carefully lowering it to a nearby overhang above the window directly below the vent. The others were counting on him to find out what Galvatron and the rest of the Decepticons were up to; he couldn't turn back just because of the unease he felt at the lack of Decepticon guards. Besides, the fact that there _weren't_ any guards was working in his favor.

Computron paused, hovering directly in front of the now grate-free vent, looking into the dark shaft beyond. This was it. Taking a deep vent, he flew into the dark opening and landed on the metal that made up the entirety of the shaft. He took a moment to adjust his optics to the darkness, as well as dim them so there was no chance of their blue glow giving him away, then carefully, quietly began to head forward, taking the path along the ventilation shaft that would lead him to the room his scans told him held the most Decepticons, and, undoubtedly, Galvatron.

It wasn't far, and, true to what his scan had told him, the room was full of Decepticons. He could hear them moving around and talking in low, anxious voices. That made him pause, remembering what Optimus had told him about how the Decepticons had seemed almost…afraid.

Afraid of their leader.

Curious in spite of himself, Computron quietly edged closer to the vent that led into the room, sharpening his audios as well as optics as he peered through the grate covering the vent, settling down to wait for any information that lay beyond his hiding place to make itself known.

* * *

><p>Howlback had always been careful about protecting Ratbat. But after being forced to watch Cyclonus punish him for something he had not done, she had become even more so. After Megatron had returned as Galvatron and she had both sensed and seen how unstable he was, she had taken yet <em>more<em> care to protect her secret younger brother, keeping him close to her so that she could prevent him from being hurt by any of the other Decepticons, sharing her Energon rations with him as the Decepticons' remaining supply of Energon-most of it had gone to fuel the Space Bridge-dwindled more and more and Galvatron and Cyclonus did nothing to change it, and tending to his injured wing and chest armor as best as she could, though she took care to pretend that she was doing it out of necessity to preserve the Decepticon Espionage unit, not because she loved him.

So, when the door to the room she, Ratbat, and a fair number of other Decepticons were in abruptly slammed open and Galvatron stormed inside accompanied by Cyclonus, the cat-formed Decepticon ever so slightly moved to shield Ratbat from their Leader's menacing red gaze as she herself watched Galvatron warily. It was the first time since he had returned to the base the previous day that he had shown himself to the other Decepticons, and the look on his faceplates was one of such fury that all those in the room drew back from him immediately and Howlback felt a stab of unwelcome fear in her Spark.

Her misgivings about the direction the Decepticons were heading had only increased after what had happened yesterday. Oh, not the battle with the Autobots and humans, that had nothing to do with it. In fact, she had enjoyed being able to take her frustration and anger out on them again, though, sadly, she had not been able to confront Bumblebee again in that fight. No, it had been the meeting that had preceded that battle, that and what had followed directly after, both before Galvatron had ordered them after the Autobots and humans and after Galvatron had returned from the Autobot base empty-handed.

Galvatron's behavior was becoming more and more erratic. What little rationality he had once had directly after being reborn was fading and it was obvious that his processor and sanity were rapidly deteriorating. He still had moments of rationality, yes, but they were growing fewer and farther between. Combined with his refusal to look for more Energon himself or let any of the others do so, his abrupt laughter, the way his mood swiftly changed, the way he seemed to be in pain from his processor frequently, and the way he had returned to the base yesterday, roaring inside in his alt mode before Transforming and locking himself into a room alone…all that pointed to something far more sinister being at work here. Howlback didn't like it. It honestly scared her, and she could see that, especially after Galvatron had boldly announced his intentions to destroy Unicron despite the fact that the Destroyer had brought him back to life, it terrified the rest of the Decepticons as well.

Howlback was good at reading between the lines; she had been hesitant about it before, but now there was no doubt in her own processor that a heavy price had been paid indeed when Cyclonus had convinced Unicron to revive Megatron. Galvatron's mind was no longer truly his own, and it was literally destroying him from the inside out.

Her thoughts were cut off as Galvatron suddenly let out a snarl of rage and stormed towards one of the Decepticons nearest the door. Howlback watched, her entire frame tense as she maintained her protective stance in front of Ratbat, following the Decepticon leader's progression into the room so that she could see who it was he was heading for. Her frame tensed even further when she saw who it was that was the focus of Galvatron's fury.

It was Salvo.

"_You_," Galvatron hissed, closing the remaining distance between himself and Salvo rapidly, ignoring the other Decepticons who scrambled to get out of his way, coming to a stop and looming over the smaller Decepticon with murder in his optics. "You let the traitor Scattershot get away with his life yesterday. Because of your _failure_, he was able to get away from me when I attacked the Autobot base and warn Optimus!"

"I was following your orders, Lord Galvatron," Salvo said hurriedly, and the fact that fear was edging the normally calm and collected Decepticon's words showed that he was aware of how much danger he was in. "You said that we were not to attack any of the Autobots-"

"_Autobots_, you fool, not _traitors_!" Galvatron's optics flashed, and the smaller, black-armored Decepticon flinched despite himself and unconsciously took a step back. Galvatron followed him, grabbing Salvo before he could retreat any further, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall mercilessly. He held Salvo there, glaring at him savagely. "Scattershot warned Optimus. Optimus returned to the base before I could take any of the Sparklings, which allowed time for yet another…unavoidable circumstance…to intervene. And now we have no leverage to hold against the Autobots, because of _you_."

"But when I told Cyclonus about it, you heard then, and you said letting Scattershot and the Autobot with him go fit in to your plan! You didn't say that I should have-"

Galvatron pulled Salvo back and slammed him against the wall again, with even more force, causing Salvo's voice to cut off into a pain-filled hiss. "Stop making excuses!" He leaned in closer, optics glinting dementedly. "But you're as good as a traitor yourself, aren't you, Salvo? This isn't the first time you've intentionally undermined me, is it now? Cyclonus told me that you were the one who took charge of the Decepticons after my untimely demise in Chicago. And yet, once you had led the others to a secure location where you could regain your strength, did you try to find a way to revive me? No, you did not, not once, I know. If Cyclonus hadn't taken over when he did, you would have been happy to let me rust in that cave, wouldn't you?"

The room fell silent at that accusation, all optics on Galvatron and Salvo as the other Decepticons watched the confrontation, every one of them too terrified to move lest Galvatron's fury be redirected to them. Even Cyclonus, Howlback noted, looked uneasy about what was transpiring before him in the room.

Knowing by the silence of the others that none of them were going to help him, Salvo frantically shook his head, all pretense at being calm gone now as he realized where this conversation was going. "No, no! We would have, I would have, I swear it, Lord Galvatron! But we were weak; we needed to recover our strength before we could make any move! And we no longer have the All-Spark shard, it was lost in Egypt! I thought there was no way to revive you, but as soon as Cyclonus said that he-"

But Galvatron was past listening now, his voice rising in volume so that it drowned out Salvo's pleas. "Thought you would take my place as the leader of the Decepticons, didn't you?" He slammed Salvo into the wall again and again, emphasizing each sentence with his attacks. "Thought that as long as I was gone you would lead unopposed? Didn't you? _Didn't you?!_" He leaned in closer, snarling. "Well, Salvo, _no one_ but _me_ leads the Decepticons and no one will _ever _follow _you_ again." The Decepticon leader's voice continued to rise in volume until it became a furious roar of anger. "No one, no one, _NO ONE_!"

"No, Lord Galvatron! Please, have mer-"

Galvatron slammed Salvo to the ground hard, putting his full strength behind the blow, once again cutting off the other mech's pleading as he let out a hiss of pain. Salvo attempted to push himself back to his feet, but before he was even close to halfway back up, Galvatron was on him, clawed fingers digging ruthlessly into the smaller Decepticon's chassis, ignoring his howls of pain as he continued prying apart Salvo's armor just as he had done to Red Alert, twisting the armor away until Salvo's Spark Chamber was visible. Aware of the horrified gazes of the other Decepticons, Galvatron drew a clawed hand back, pausing as he locked ruthless optics with terrified, pain-filled ones in a brief moment of cold, calm focus.

"Mercy is for the weak."

In one swift motion, he reached into Salvo's Spark Chamber and violently tore into the smaller Decepticon's Spark, digging his claws into the casing so that it buckled and dented in his grip. Salvo let out one last pain-filled scream that abruptly ceased as Galvatron crushed his Spark out of existence. A few moments of silence passed, then, shaking the Energon off one hand as if bored, Galvatron stood. He laughed, then glared around as the other Decepticons drew further away from him.

"Clean that up," He snapped at one of the Decepticons closest to him, gesturing dismissively at Salvo's inert frame. "As for the rest of you…" He narrowed his optics as they drew away from him again, though the Decepticon he had ordered to dispose of Salvo's remains hurriedly carried out his orders. "I expect _complete _and _total_ obedience and loyalty if you wish to avoid his fate." He gestured in Salvo's direction again. "And as I have no qualms about doing the same to each and every one of you, I suggest you take my order seriously. Cyclonus, come with me; we have battle plans to discuss."

He spun around and walked back towards the door, Cyclonus following obediently. Galvatron, however, paused before he exited the room, and Cyclonus stopped walking, too, watching the Decepticon leader's back apprehensively. "We will attack the Autobots and their human pets in three days-be ready to move out on a moment's notice. We will attack the city to draw them out. Nothing brings Optimus Prime running faster than the screams and cries of the weak in pain." Galvatron laughed again as he left the room, Cyclonus following and slamming the door shut behind them, leaving a horrified, tense silence behind.

Howlback turned her head away, unable to watch the Decepticon cleaning up Salvo's remains any longer, shuttering her optic in anger, fear, and unease. Why had Galvatron done that? Salvo _had_ been loyal, he had never intended to take Galvatron's place as leader, had honestly believed there was no way to revive Megatron until Cyclonus had told him that there was, _and_ he had been following Galvatron's orders when he let Scattershot go yesterday.

The Decepticon leader pinning the blame on others was nothing new, but it had never before ended like _this._ Before, it had always involved a beating and threats of worse, but no further than that unless the Decepticon involved really _had_ turned traitor, and had been caught.

So why did Galvatron go so far this time, suddenly deciding that Salvo had disobeyed orders even though he hadn't, had become a traitor, and was seeking to usurp him as Decepticon leader, killing him in a way that none of the Decepticons had done or seen before?

There was one thing Howlback was sure of, though. Finally, she was certain of it, and the feel of Ratbat leaning against her side, trembling with fear, cemented that fact. She had sworn to protect her brother, the only living family she had besides the Sparkling who was currently beyond her reach.

_As long as Galvatron continues to lose his mind, being with the Decepticons isn't safe anymore. Not for Ratbat, not for me. But what do I do? What do __**we**__ do?_

If they left, they would both forfeit their positions in the Decepticon army and be branded as traitors and deserters, to be killed on sight. Not only that, she wouldn't be able to get revenge for Soundwave's death. She'd been looking forward to it for so long, bringing an end to the Autobot who'd caused her so much pain.

But Ratbat's safety was more important than revenge, and she knew that even as traitors with a death order on their helms, they would be safer then than they were now, as they would be far away from Galvatron and his increasing madness.

_What should we do?_ She asked Ratbat over a private comm, her usual confidence in her own judgment over matters overtaken by a swell of uncertainty.

_You don't have to decide now,_ Ratbat told her, continuing to lean against her side. Any Decepticons who saw it would think it was because the small cassette was terrified from what had happened, but while that was true, Howlback knew it was also both a gesture of trust and an attempt to comfort her. _We can wait and see where things go from here. But whatever you decide, I'll stay with you, no matter what. I promise._

Howlback sent him a feeling of gratitude across their cassette bond, lifting her head and looking over at the door. Stay or leave-she would have to decide soon, she knew.

What they had just witnessed was proof enough of that.

* * *

><p>Computron drew back from the vent grate, optics wide, horrified and disgusted at what he had seen. He walked backwards, away from the grate, until he was far enough away that he felt it safe to turn around and move as quickly as he safely could back the direction he had come.<p>

As he moved, thoughts tumbled around in his processor in a storm of fear and uncertainty. _Why did Galvatron do that? He's never been merciful, but still, why would he kill one of his own soldiers when the Decepticon forces are so decimated as it is? Okay, fair enough, they still outnumber us, but there are fewer than them than before. So why?_

It hit Computron just as he saw the light of outside entering the opening of the vent he had used to enter the factory ahead.

Optimus was right, Galvatron was mentally unstable. But it seemed to have gotten worse in the short time between yesterday's events and what had just happened. Galvatron was losing his processor. Very rapidly, too, judging by what Computron had seen. He had become a danger to his own followers as well as his enemies.

The little Autobot emerged into the sunlight. Shaking his head at the brightness, he quickly adjusted his optics back to what they had been before he had entered the factory. No longer in the terrible atmosphere of the Decepticon base and the horrors of what he had witnessed, a determination filled Computron.

_Optimus has to know about this __**now**__._

Running a scan to confirm that there were still no Decepticons on guard outside-there weren't-Computron launched himself from the vent. He flapped his wings to gain altitude as he turned in the direction of the NEST base and where he had left Mirage. He began to fly as fast as he could, initiating a comm with Mirage once the factory was out of sight behind some trees, both alerting the other Autobot that he was returning and reassuring him that he was fine, taking the time to cobble together a report of all he had seen and heard while in the Decepticon base while he spoke to Mirage, sending the report to Mirage once it was finished so he would Know the reason they had to hurry back to base, and then, ignoring the choice curses in both Cybertronian and Italian coming from Mirage as he looked over Computron's report, the small Autobot turned his attention to who else needed to know what he had discovered.

He would be able to better explain things later, but Optimus needed this information immediately. As he caught sight of the familiar red armor of Mirage through the trees, he opened a long-range comm with Optimus.

_Optimus Prime, sir?_

Optimus responded immediately. _Computron, are you all right? You are not injured, are you?_

_No, no, I'm fine, sir,_ Computron assured the Autobot leader, knowing that Optimus was worried for his safety even though he could not hear that worry over the comm. _The Decepticons never noticed me, Ratchet's sensor modification worked perfectly. _He paused. _Sir, I have information, and it doesn't look good._

Optimus was silent for a moment, the answered. _Proceed to send your report, Computron._

Computron did so, landing on Mirage's shoulder and signalling for the other Autobot to wait as he listened for the Prime's response, opening his comm with Mirage so that the red-armored mech would be able to hear it too.

After a few minutes, Optimus replied over both Autobots' frequencies, obviously knowing that Computron had opened his with Mirage just in case the Prime had orders for him, too. _I see. Computron, Mirage, return to the Autobot base; we will discuss this in more detail when you return._

Mirage and Computron looked at each other; it was obvious even over the comm that Optimus Prime was troubled, and, Computron knew, rightly so.

_Yes, sir,_ Computron replied.

_We're on our way,_ Mirage added as he Transformed back into vehicle mode, opening a door so that Computron could hop inside. It was true that Computron could fly back to the base faster than Mirage could drive there, but after what Computron had seen, they both knew that it made more sense for them to travel together for safety. After what Galvatron had done to one of his own, there was no telling what he would do to the two Autobots if he caught them so close to the Deception base. Better to stick together for protection than to risk otherwise.

As the Decepticon base fell further and further behind them as Mirage drove away, heading towards the road that would take them back to the base, Computron only felt slightly better. He was still uneasy, and, going by Mirage's silence, so was he.

_This brings a whole new level to the playing field, one we never even considered,_ Computron thought, looking over his shoulder in the direction they had come from. _I just hope we can find a way to overcome it._


End file.
